Population, Poverty and Social Transformation : An Alternative Paradigm

The Governmental policy concerning the twin problem of population and poverty is based on the Western neo-Malthusian model, which regards over-population as the cause of poverty. This perception is wrong and irrelevant to Indian conditions. In this paper I have proposed a new alternative paradigm on the interrelations between population, poverty and the related concerns. Its central thesis is that the population problem has also the concomitant social problems like unemployment, illhealth, crime, etc., result from (1) poverty as their 'immediate' determinant, (2) such evils as inequality, consumerism, military expenditure, defective planning, etc., as their 'intermediate' determinants, and (3) out-model non-egalitarian social structures, vicious human psyche and spiritual degradation as their 'ultimate' determinants. This new paradigm has implications for policy and programme logistics that are fundamentally different from official policy.