India to be most populous nation by 2025: Maken

NEW DELHI: India is set to become the most populous nation by 2025 and face many new challenges, if population continued to grow at the current rate.

These concerns were expressed by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Ajay Maken today at a 'National Workshop on Youth for Population Stabilization', held to mark 'World Population Day' at Vigyan Bhawan, where youth were urged to spread the message of population stabilisation.

The workshop, jointly organised by Jansankhya Sthirta Kosh (National Population Stabilization Fund of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, called for urgent steps to stabilise population in view of the limited available resources within the country.

Inaugurating the workshop, Maken said it was estimated that India would have a population of 139 crore by 2025, when it would surpass China too.

The minister, however, said if population growth was a challenge for all of us, it could also be converted into an opportunity as average age in India by 2020 would be one among the lowest. "Average rate in India would be 29 years by 2020, while that in China 37 years and Japan 48 years. This would help young India convert this challenge into an opportunity."

For achieving this, the minister listed out a five-point agenda for youth which included educating them, providing them health, empowering them with skill development, improving the child sex ratio by empowering women and sustainability in every sphere.