In spite of the many developments that our country can boast of, it is facing the greatest challenge of population explosion.
The announcement of the National Population Policy and the setting up of a National Population Commission reflect the deep commitment of the Government towards population stabilisation programmes, Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University C. Swaminathan said here recently.
Delivering the graduation day address of the Sree Narayana Guru College, he said overpopulation resulted in misuse of environmental resources on one side and wastage of human resources on the other.
“Due to poor education and poor quality of human resources, there is conspicuous social failure, increase in crime, use of narcotics, alcoholism, civil disorder and mass disobedience.
“A new field of study called population education has been introduced as a solution to the problem of population growth.
“It is a programme that provides for a study of the population situation in the family, community, nation and world, with the purpose of developing in students a rational and responsible attitude and behaviour towards this situation,” Mr. Swaminathan said.
Stressing on a harmonious relationship with nature, the Vice-Chancellor gave a clarion call for people to view environment as a national asset.
“If we fail to curb our population growth, nature will end it in her own way by killing a large portion of humanity. Population control by human efforts must be moved to the top of the human agenda if posterity should enjoy the fruits of development,” he said.
Demographically India had become a young country as more than 70 per cent of its population was now under the age of 35.
This resource was a crucial factor for development. Human beings were the active agents who accumulated capital, exploited natural resources, built social, economic and political organisations and carried forward national development.
“A country which is unable to develop the skills and knowledge of its people and to utilise them effectively will be unable to develop anything else,” Mr. Swaminathan said.
Chairman of the college N. Prabhakaran, Vice-Chairman K.M. Shankaran, Secretary V.P. Prabhakaran, Treasurer P.M. Vasu, and Principal Asha Balagangadharan, were present.
