Why is rural population a bigger problem in India?
Much of India’s population lives in the villages and depends mainly on agriculture as a source of income. Latest figures show that the urban population has come down, while the rural population has shot up by 40 per cent. This results in higher migration to the urban centres which puts pressure on the availability of basic amenities in the cities. It also leads to overcrowding and congestion in the cities and exerts pressure on the general infrastructure such as hospitals, education centres and housing facilities. So much so, slums have mushroomed in the urban centres haphazardly, in turn affecting the environment too. High rural influx into the cities has also aggravated the problem of urban unemployment. So, it is important to tackle the population problem at the rural level, as illiteracy and high birth rates are more prevalent in rural India. How best to curb population? Today, the government is targeting at a higher GDP growth of around eight per cent. But, all its efforts will ge
