‘At least three children’: RSS chairman Mohan Bhagwat pushes Indian families to combat population decrease.

News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 4th December 2024

RSS president Mohan Bhagwat raised alarm over the drop in population growth, claiming that India’s total fertility rate (TFR) should be at least 3, which is much higher than the replacement rate of 2.1%.

Speaking at the ‘Kathale Kul (clan) Sammelan’ in Nagpur, Bhagwat underlined the value of families and warned that, according to population science, if a society’s fertility rate falls below 2.1, it risks extinction, according to PTI.

“A declining population is a serious concern. Demographic studies suggest that when a society’s total fertility rate falls below 2.1, it risks facing extinction. This decline does not necessarily require external threats; a society can gradually fade away on its own,” Bhagwat said. “Many languages and cultures have already disappeared due to this issue. Thus, it is essential to maintain a fertility rate above 2.1,” Bhagwat said. He emphasized that “kutumb” (family) is an integral part of society, and every family serves as a vital building bloc.

“Our country’s population policy, formulated either in 1998 or 2002, clearly says that the total fertility rate should not be below 2.1. Now when we say 2.1, it is not feasible to have children in fraction. So when we say 2.1, this means it should be more, at least three. The (population) science says so,” Bhagwat said.

According to data from the 2021 National Family Health Survey, India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which measures the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime, has fallen from 2.2 to 2, while the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased from 54% to 67%. A TFR of 2.1 is considered the replacement rate, which is required to sustain population stability. This rate ensures that a woman and her partner are replaced after death, avoiding overall population growth or decline.

Following Bhagwat’s remarks, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi stated, “PM Modi had earlier said that Muslim women produce more children.” He also mentioned Modi’s claim that if the Congress wins power, it will redistribute riches, including’mangalsutras’, from Muslim moms and daughters.