What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: Aiding India’s progress with choice, control and capital

Context

With proper investment in education, skills, and access to healthcare, nutrition, and family planning, India’s youth can significantly drive the nation’s growth.

Introduction

Now that the world’s population has crossed eight billion, it’s natural to focus on big global trends. But we also need to pay attention to vulnerable groups and people living on the margins. It’s important to keep the promise made at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) — to make sure everyone has the right to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, without facing pressure, discrimination, or violence.

• This year, the United Nationshas announced the theme for World Population Day as “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world.”
• The theme highlights the ICPD’s special focus on youth, affirming their right to accurate information, education, and servicesto make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
• It also reflects a simple but urgent need: to place youth at the centrewhen imagining the future, ensuring their freedom of choice and equal opportunities.

Home to the largest youth population

• According to UNICEF, India has 371 million youthaged 15 to 29 years, the largest youth population in the world.
• This large number puts pressureon existing resources and systems, but with proper investment in education, skills, healthcare, nutrition, and family planning, youth can become a key force for national progress.
• Unlocking this youth potentialcould increase India’s GDP by up to $1 trillion by 2030, according to World Bank and NITI Aayog
• It would also help reduce unemploymentand improve social outcomes across the country.
• India has seen progressthrough programs like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ and the National Adolescent Health Programme, leading to a decline in child marriage and adolescent fertility rates.
• Despite this, challenges remain, such as:
  • Limited reproductive autonomy
  • Socio-cultural barriers
  • Gender inequality
  • These continue to limit the potentialof many young people, especially young women.
• Child marriagerates have been cut in half since 2006 but still remain at 3% (as per NFHS-5, 2019–21).
• Teenage childbearing(ages 15–19) is at 7% nationally, but in some states, the rate is more than double, showing serious regional disparities.
• The UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2025reveals:
  • 36% of Indian adultsexperience unintended pregnancies
  • 30%have unmet reproductive goals (unable to decide the number of children they want)
  • 23%face both issues
• This points to an urgent need to expand access to reproductive health servicesand ensure freedom of choice for all.

Need for a Comprehensive Strategy

• A multi-pronged approach is essential to address the root causes of early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and disempowerment—not just the symptoms. The strategy must include:
  • Education
  • Access to contraception
  • Nutrition
  • Mental health support
  • Community empowerment
• Impact of Education

Factor	Impact
Each additional year of secondary education	Reduces likelihood of child marriage by up to 6% (UNICEF)

Project Udaan (Rajasthan, 2017–2022)

• Implementing Agency: IPE Global
• Key Features:
  • Promoted continued secondary educationfor girls
  • Leveraged government scholarships
  • Raised awareness on sexual and reproductive health
  • Increased access to modern contraceptives
  • Strengthened girls’ reproductive agency and voice

Outcomes	Numbers
Child marriages prevented	~30,000
Teen pregnancies averted	~15,000

Advika Programme (Odisha, since 2019–20)

• Partners: Government of Odisha + UNICEF-UNFPA
• Strategies:
  • Strengthened state systems
  • Raised child protection awareness
  • Empowered adolescents via:
    • Education
    • Skill development
    • Leadership training

Outcomes	Numbers
Child marriage-free villages	~11,000
Child marriages stopped in 2022	~950

True Empowerment Goes Beyond Prevention

• Empowering adolescents—especially girls—means:
• Equipping them with education, skills, and opportunities
• Supporting their participation in decisionsaffecting them, including:
  • When to marry
  • Whether/when to have children
  • How to lead meaningful, independent lives
• Core Principle: Economic independenceis key to lasting empowerment.

Project Manzil (Rajasthan, 2019–2025)

• Partners: IPE Global + Govt. of Rajasthan
• Approach:
  • Uses human-centred designto understand young women’s aspirations
  • Aligns skill trainingaccordingly
  • Provides access to dignified jobsin gender-friendly workplaces
  • Combats harmful social normsthrough behaviour change communication

Achievements	Numbers
Women trained (age 18–21)	28,000
Women employed	16,000
First-generation skilled workers

• Impact:
  • Financial stability improved negotiation power
  • Many delayed marriage or chose on their own terms
  • Uplifted familiesand entire communities

Accelerating progress

• The State of World Population 2025report highlights the importance of rights-based, multi-sectoral investments for sustainable progress.
• It stresses that true progress depends on universal accessto:
  • Contraception
  • Safe abortion
  • Maternal health
  • Infertility care
• It also calls for removing structural barriers, including:
  • Lack of education
  • Inadequate housing
  • Childcare challenges
  • Rigid workplace structures
• The report emphasizes that targeted investments in the following areas bring measurable outcomes:
  • Girls’ education
  • Life-skills training
  • Conditional cash transfers
  • Community engagement
  • Health services
• Successful programmes like Udaan, Advika, and Manzildemonstrate how such investments can be effectively implemented to empower youth and shape a better future.

Conclusion

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has rightly emphasized the importance of this World Population Day as a moment to celebrate the potential and promise of the world’s largest-ever generation of youth. It serves as a reminder that young people have the right to shape their own futures—making informed decisions about their health, families, careers, and overall lives. As India stands at a crucial point in its development journey, its future success will largely depend on how effectively it responds to the aspirations of its youth. This includes actively amplifying the voices of young women and ensuring they have access to opportunities that empower them to contribute meaningfully to society.

 

Editorial 2: ​Population decline and an ill-informed chorus

Context

The fertility rate is declining, but many of the fears around it are too early, based on weak analysis, and raise ethical concerns.

Introduction

Demographic issues have long been a part of public discussion, though often misunderstood or misinterpreted. With each passing World Population Day, the conversation keeps shifting — from earlier Malthusian fears of uncontrolled population growth and environmental pressure, to today’s rising concern over rapidly declining fertility rates.

Population Decline: Alarm vs Reality

Theme	Key Points
Rising Alarmism	– Many are warning of population collapse and the world “dwindling to nothing”. – These concerns are often premature, analytically weak, and ethically concerning.
Falling Fertility Rates	– There is no doubt that fertility rates are declining globally. – However, the interpretations of this trend are often misguided or exaggerated.
Pro-Natalist Movements	– More countries are supporting pro-natalist policies to increase birth rates. – These efforts vary in urgency and effectiveness across nations.
Elon Musk’s View	– Musk has been vocal about the risk of population collapse within 20 years. – His Musk Foundation donated $10 million to the University of Texas for a Population Wellbeing Initiative.
UN’s Data-Based Outlook (WPP 2024)	– According to World Population Prospects: • Population will grow from 8.2 billion (2024) to a peak of 10.3 billion (mid-2080s). • A gradual decline is expected after that. • By 2100, the population may be 6% smaller than predicted a decade ago.
Why Alarm is Misplaced	– Two key points often ignored: 1. Projections ≠ Predictions: Projections are based on assumptions and lose accuracy over time. 2. Demographic Lag Effect: Population trends don’t change instantly — population momentum keeps growth going for decades, even with below-replacement fertility.
Population Momentum Explained	– When TFR < 2.1, growth can continue due to a large number of people still in reproductive age. – No population declines overnight; change is gradual and nonlinear.

Insights from the UNFPA Report 2025

• Title: “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World”
• The report surveyed 14,000 people across 14 countriesto understand fertility intentions and barriers.
• Key Findings:
  • 1 in 5 respondentssaid they could not have as many children as they wanted.
  • 23%of people wanted to have a child at a specific time, but could not.
  • Of those, 40% ultimately had to give upthe idea of having a child.
• Universal Fertility Barriers: The findings showed that regardless of whether a country has high or low fertility rates, people often:
  • Overachieve or underachievetheir desired family size.
  • Face common barriersin fulfilling their fertility goals.

India-Specific Barriers

• Respondents in India reported these top reasons for having fewer children than desired:

Factor	% of Respondents Citing It
Financial limitations	38%
Housing limitations	22%
Unemployment	21%
Lack of quality childcare	18%
Infertility	13%

South Korea’s Policy Response and Current Outlook

• South Korea has invested over $200 billionover the past 20 years to raise fertility rates.
• In Q1 of 2025, for the first time in nine years, births rose by 3%compared to the same period in 2024.
• This slight increase in birthsis linked to:
  • A rise in marriages
  • A more positive social outlookon marriage and children
• However, major concerns still persist among respondents in Korea:

Factor	% Citing It
Financial limitations	58%
Housing limitations	31%

Need for societal changes

• The panic over declining birth rates and ageing populationshas unfairly blamed women who choose not to have children.
• This has led to restrictions on reproductive rights, including abortion accessand contraception.
• Treating all women as a single, uniform groupand expecting them to embrace childbearing is unrealistic and misguided.
• In reality, most people do want children— typically around two — but many are unable to become parents due to various barriers, not by choice.
• The focus should be on supporting women who want children but can’t have them, instead of policing those who are voluntarily child-free.
• Target-driven pro-natalist policies(e.g., baby bonuses, one-time cash incentives):
  • Often reinforce traditional gender roles
  • Overlook the role of menin parenting
  • May result in more harm than benefitif not designed thoughtfully and inclusively

Conclusion

Countries grappling with declining fertility must move beyond ethno-nationalist narratives and instead focus on driving meaningful societal change that genuinely supports women and families. The fear surrounding a shrinking workforce should not lead to pressure on women to bear more children. Instead, the solution lies in integrating women into the paid workforce and ensuring they are not penalised for motherhood. Empowering women economically and socially is a far more sustainable and ethical response than coercive population strategies.