Ravi Kishan calls for Population Control bill to make India 'Vishwa Guru'

Actor-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Kishan on Friday said he was going to introduce a private member's bill on population control in the Lok Sabha. A Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur constituency, Kishan has four children, three daughters and a son, with his wife Priti.

"We can be Vishwa Guru only when Population Control Bill is brought. Very important to bring the population under control," Kishan said to ANI. "With the way in which it's rising, we are heading towards explosion. I request the Opposition to let me introduce the bill and listen to why I want to do it," Kishan added.

A recent UN report said that India is projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country next year. But the World Population Prospects 2022 also highlighted that India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) had come down from 5.9 children per woman in 1950 to 2.2 children per woman in 2020, just shy of 2.1 replacement level fertility.

Minister of State for Health, Bharati Pravin Pawar, informed the Upper House on Tuesday that the government seeks to stabilise population by 2045 and its efforts have been successful in reining in the growth of population. Bharati Pawar further informed the house that modern contraceptive usage has increased to 56.5 per cent and the unmet need for family planning is only 9.4 per cent, according to NFHS 5. She said that according to the Sample Registration System of the Census, the Crude Birth Rate (CBR) had declined to 19.7 per 1,000 people in 2019. The Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on July 18 and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the Session.

(ANI)