Critically examine the challenges of demographic transition in contemporary India.
Question source: iasbaba.com
Write a timed answer in the appCurrent affairs to use in your answer
Op-ed: Falling fertility, delimitation and the politics of population · 1 September 2026 · Answers it directly · use it in the body
Use the op-ed to set out the main challenges of uneven demographic transition: representation, federal fairness, ageing and communal framing of fertility.
- India's TFR fell to 2.0 in NFHS-5 (2019-21), below replacement of about 2.1; it has fallen in every community, Muslim from 4.41 (1992-93) to 2.36 and Hindu from 3.3 to 1.94.
- Seat allocation is frozen on the 1971 census (42nd Amendment, 1976; extended by the 84th Amendment, 2001, until the first census after 2026), so Census 2027 could shift seats northwards.
- The op-ed urges policy to focus on ageing, migration, job creation and regional inequality rather than treating fertility as religious competition.
Also related
- Total fertility rate
India's TFR falling to replacement level marks the stage of demographic transition this question examines.