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India "s census has reveaJ-e'd a demographic disaster. The population stands at 684m, which i$ 12m more than expected(these pre-census expectations ate included in our survey Ion the Indian economy, afujr page 54). In the 1970s, 125m newcomers crowded into this already overcrowded land. Indians are even beginning to talk af sf their country could soon overtake China as the most populous country in ^he world. But China has 'its' own worries: a census planned for next year could reveal the population to be closer to 1.2 billion thai} the 1 billion at present estimated.
Demographers had hoped that the family planning, efforts of the past decade would sharply decelerate the growth of, the population. This has not happened. Despite the speeding of more than $1; billion, and the sterilisation of nxore than 20m people, the population grew by 24.75% in the' 1970s - which was just about the same as the
24.80% recorded in the previous decade. The sample registration data on births had led the government to believe that the average birth rate in the 1970s would be 34,5 per thousand. Tlve census indicates that the rate was actually 37.per thousand. While this ia an improvement over the 41 per thousand recorded in the 1960s, it is still a far cry from the fcarget-pf 25 per thousand.
Why hat; the falling birth irate not slowed down population growth? The answer �is that the death rate has
also faDen, from 19 per thousand to 15 per thous* and. Fewer people are being bprn but .eyeiti fewer are dyinj?, and the result is that the population keeps exploding.
The silver lining to the census figures is the proof they bring that peojple are less hungry.. The declining death rate cannot be explained only by the spread of health facilities. Hunger and malnutrition have traditionally ; been Indians biggest indirect killers, leaving their victims prey to any passing disease .Population growth in the past has been lowest in the poorer states such a$ Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The birth rate in these states has always been very high, but the high death rate kept the rate of net growth relatively low. The new census shows that in the past 10 years J>6th states had a population growth higher than She national average. ;
The family planning; drive went frpm strength to strength iri the first half of the 1970s> culminating in San-jay Gandhi's forced sterilisation drive in 1976-77; The political backlash was, so severe that the J anata gov-ernmem, when it took over1 in 1977, spent its time promising compensation to the many uhwilling victims of the campaign, instead of strengtheing the family planning campaign on a' voluntary basis. �
Even so, it is dismaying that so much sterilisation should have failed to make the: expected impact. It looks as though many bogus sterilisations; may have
been -'reKsteTe/.'mer collect th^ cash incentive offered by the government It also seems that manyj couples who decided to have thenxselves sterilised! were already practisingl some method of birth contrj rol. To reduce fertility; the| family planning drive will have to branch out to rural! areas, whfere otlier forms ofj contraceptibn are non-exis tent.-' \. /''' -;';:;:-. '��'�;'::;�:-''; ��*'� '4
In the early 1970s the| government started orga.ni4
sing mass vasectomy camps in rural and semi-Urban areas, offering cash to th<5 tens of thousands Willing to be sterilised. Inevitably there were abuses, and some camps were not exact* lyhygenie. But the census shows that concentrating on urban areas will hot yield results, Probably, the rural camps will hive to begin again in a more controlled^ and cleaner, fashion. More than three quarters of the population stll lives in villages, and it is there that tht birth rate is highest. I
Though Indians are shockr ed at the figures, the worst may now be over. The deatfe irate is already so low, by third-world standards/ that it will decline only slowly ip the future. On the other hand, the birth rate should continue to fall fairly fasi-Sample registration data suggest that the population
growth rate is already dpwh to 1.9%.?The census results have shown that the sample data are I not reliable; the present actual ;growth: ratjp may be 2.05%. But even this is one of the lowest in the third; worldv -;:' '�� :
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Agra, '[UNJ[J|-.MWc.- Cannot afford to lose the Taj" is the cry of every conservationist in India. And the layman echoes the cry. ;
The Taj Mahal, built in 1631 A.D.> is monument to 2ove, It ia buiU over the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Shah Jehan, the fourth Mughal Emperor of Indian '
Even today it remains unique as the most magnificent marble monument in the world. But for the :riiic's eye it has lost some of its charmi And with n have faded many other monuments in Agra, once the imperial Mughal city, about 150 kms south of 'Delhi. '� : ; �� . '-� �...;.;�. :
Despite several attempts over the years to protect the monuments in the city, they have been slowly damaged by smoke and soot from the 200 odd foundries and 50 other smoke-emitting units in and around Agra.
According to the conservation experts of the Arch-cological Departmentv the monumejats are losing their colour and sparkle. There is also formation of gypsurn, in;'and' blackening
.;.�6aldin^g-' of stones. They fear that stone cancer .may be afflicting the matchless architectural creations of the Mughal Emperors.
Earlier, there was a decision;to shift the foundries elsewhere from the city, but nothing pr very little has been to save the monuments from pollution .��-As far back as 197B, an announcement was made that the Taj was receiving 4'cosmetic touches by conservation experts to preserve its i beauty". In March; 1981, the Uttar Pradesh G o v e rii m e n t a n n ou n c e d that some units that emitted smoke- would be ; shifted outside the cityv But experts believe that if the pace of damage is not halted; only a few monuments would be left by the end of the century.
European travellers in the ''.Idth century put the number of monuments in Agra at 200; At present, there are only 27 on re cord; Structures in;: the area -have suffered at the hands of the Vandals and rulers. The British damaged several buildings to set up a ;cant--. The tomb pf .Jodha
Bai, wife of Akjiar and mother pf Mumtaz Mahalv suffered the axe. r
As indutitrialisatipn grows), space and need for ne\Sr residential colonies ariseflj. They add to the potliition which the city is already suffering from. Efforts tp shift the foundries have not been successful; the jndus(-ry's arguments are that thte foundries are responsible for only a fraction of smoke while the bulk of it is emitted by railway stieain engines /thermal p6w er stations ^arid the automobiles plying in the city. Many monuments also been converted to residential aceomodatiori, like the building known as Takht Pahalwan, built during Akbar1 s reign for tramiiig
. .
The foundries continue to melt iron, the thermal po>v-er units, continue to be Sri operatibn ancl the railyray marshalling yard emi|ts steam. But the Archeolp^ir cal Pepartment is leavihg no stone unturned to save the precious monuirieiJts from ultimate decay.
strike again
George Mathew
New pelhi: The Naxalites are striking again in Kerala, thanks to the policy pi" political confrontation and appeasement pursued by the Nayanar Governments
The Naxalites who were lying low for quite some time are raising their heads in an -organised manner izr most par^s of the static. Their terrorism and murderous activities are coming to surface once again in oder to herald "social jus-
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tice'' and an 4' Indian cultural revplutipn^^^ �
Mr. M;D. Mathai; an estate owner in Vyanad district, was also the Vice President of the Foothady panchayat. He was axed to death in his bedroom by Naxalites in May last. His son Devasi and wife escaped with head injuries. A 25-yearNaxalite actiyist was also killed in police firing following' the incident.
Mathai's younger son was killed by Naxalites IS mpn-jhs ago. -�:���;�';;':;:-:-::�;,.,:
A few months before the murder Mathai was tried by a "people's court'- by the Naxalites in a public place. His offence was that he dismissed a cleaner of his lorry; After the trial they picked up Rs. 750.00 frona M a thai * s pocket and gave it to the cleaner. |
On his complaint to the police a police party was deployed to guard Mathai's residence and give him protection, j Posters were seen in the streets announcing that Mathai would be killed within 12 days. The murder took place on the 12th day in spite of police yarding the house;
The public trials are held by the Janakeeya Samskar-ika Vedi (people's cultural fpmm) which is a Naxalite
organisation openly func-donirig in the state. The general public, although passive onlookers*; seem to applaud its activities which are against gambling, hoarding, bribery, cabaret dances axid corruption.
A prominent doctor of the Calicut Medical College Hospital was tried by the "people's court"�* for exhorting moriey from thie patients. He was made to parade in the streets with placards containing his offence hanging irpm his neck
and was let off after obtaining an assurance from him in writing that he would henceforth eschew his corrupt ways. ;';;.'. �;:-/ -.- -'�.;-. In Trichur the forum snatched food stocks from the traders and distributed among the poor;
A lorry carrying sugar was waylaid on a highway and ^sugar wsts sold at control price to the crowd which gatheredy The money collected was promptly handed over to the driver of the ;befpre the Waxalite
group
In Vyanad M/S John Go., are building a hotel. The hotel walls were destroyed by the Naxalites.
Nearby, the Brother Mission constructed a prayer hall. At the inaugural day of the Hall, 150 invitees were to be given lunch.
At about lunch time 156 Naxalites entered the dining pandal and lavishly fed themselves. The left-overs had to be served to the : guests. :.-. .V ';' � " ~:^.., .....'. - ' . " .'' ;� '.'
These activities which are at variance with the militant tough line adopted by the Naxalites in the past are meant to obtain public sympathy. They are aware that the "murder and loot" policy adopted in the past had alienated them from the public , That policy is now reserved for extreme cir-cuinstances.
In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, printed and circulated, the Naxalites recall the good effects of the Emergency under which the government sei> vants worked Ixard eliihinat-ing delay and corruption although the: police assumed excessive powers to put down their activities.
The progressive policies of the state government for the benefit of the poor had become a failure because of
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delay and half-hearted implementation on the part of the bureaucracy. They threaten direct action including the breaking the heads of the non-gazatted government officers (NGOs) if the situation is not than -
The Naxalites seem to prefer another spell of emergency without undue powers to tlie police^
C ha n di g ar h, [ U NI ] India has developed the sophisticated fibre optics technology with the recent breakthrough achieved by the Central Stieritificlnstr-uments Organisation.
The technology was until ivow a plpsely ; guarded 4'secretV* with advanced countries, according to the CSK) director; Ehr.Harsh Vardhaii.
Its trernendousl potential for various types of application, he said, include medical inst rumen tat ion and.
diagnosis without surgery, space and astronomical research , communication and night vision devices. It is also used in computer links, process control and automation in industry.
At present, fibre optics^ based instruments and devices used in medicine, industry and Research were imported at a high cost, l>r. Vardhan said, adding that costs would be cut by at least 50% with the indigenous development p� this technology.