IS CONCERN ABOUT POPULATION GROWTH EXAGGERATED?

MOHAN: On 15 August, during his Independence Day speech to the nation, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared "we need to worry about population explosion" - arguing that it hindered development. Mohan is right to deplore coercive policies, but underplays the political fear of (and for) an India (despite progress in normalizing small families) on track to be the most populous in the world. SARA: It is true most total fertility rates are declining worldwide (but not in subSaharan Africa) and I'm glad Mohan agrees simple numbers hide much - specifically gross inequalities between (and within) rich and poor countries. [Extracted from the article]