In a very welcome move, Swami Jitendranand Saraswati on Tuesday petitioned the Supreme Court for a law to control population in India as reported by the Organiser. As reported, the matter is likely to be heard heard by the Supreme Court by April 20.
The petition stated that the rapidly growing population of India is posing a lot of problems and challenges for the union government with limited resources and high poverty rate.
Notably, BJP member and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay had earlier filed a similar petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had issued notices to the Union government on January 10th on Upadhayay’s petition.
Swami Jitendranand Saraswati is an office bearer of Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti and also the Ganga Mahasabha. The petitioner submitted that the teeming population is straining our limited resources and the government is unable to provide enough basic food, medical facilities for the poor, so therefore it is necessary that India enacts a law for population control.
The petitioner also pointed out that demographic explosion is also posing a threat to the unity and integrity of the nation.
The petition gave pertinent data to show how India has only 2% of the global land mass and 4% of the global water resources but has 20% of the global population. This lopsided proportion of population and resource availability is almost causing the country to burst at the seams. Added to our own teeming population we also have illegal Bangladeshi and Rohigya immigrants in crores who are exponentially multiplying in numbers as there is no law to legally curb their rapid growth in population.
The petitioner prayed to the apex court to either frame guidelines for population control or direct the government to enact laws to curb population. The petitioner averred in his petition that all governments have been shying away from making a law to control population due to vote-bank politics, thus the apex court should direct the government to make appropriate law in the matter.
News input and image source: Organiser
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