Letters to the Editor: Population growth: Challenges for India

India is set to become most populous country in the world in 2023. According to the UN department of economic and social affairs' recently released report, India's population will reach 1.428 billion on July 1, 2023, which will be marginally higher than China's figure at 1.426 billion. The unhindered growth of population poses strong challenges for our country which is already burdened with poverty, stressed healthcare services, inadequate educational infrastructure etc.

Rapid urbanization and industrial expansion have been choking agricultural land and it will be an uphill task for the Government to sustain fast-increasing population with increased production of food, infinite shelter, health and hygiene needs etc. Excessive population will lead to lowering of income of families, food scarcity, illiteracy, unemployment, unhealthy living condition, pollution and deforestation. This apart, a populous country like India has been already fighting forces inimical to the unity and integrity of our land, both from within and outside. Increase in population is also bound to result in spike of more crimes. Under the circumstances, the Centre must immediately introduce well-comprehensive measures in the country to control unchecked births to maintain a reasonable limit of population to ensure uninterrupted growth of the economy and defeat the twin threats of terrorism and anti-national activities.

Pannalal Dey,

Guwahati.

Tackling corruption

The Assam Government's recent efforts to eradicate fraud and graft are, no doubt, commendable. But, until and unless our society offers some legitimate options to every individual to make progress, the lure of corruption can never be decreased. When people have few better options, they tend to choose corruption. Needless to say, as the vast majority of individuals in society want to improve their financial, social and emotional security, corruption has been stubbornly pervasive. Combating this phenomenon seems playing the game of Whack-a-Mole. The moment a corrupt player is vanquished, more are found to pop up in its place. The fact remains that a more systematic approach to development is a core tool of countering corruption. Moreover, until and unless we discourage the corrupt activities of every member of our family, the efforts to uproot corruption will never bear fruit. Instead of welcoming illegal or bribe money into any home, parents should disown their corrupt sons or daughters and one spouse should divorce the other who is corrupt.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat.

Mental healthcare

The mental health problem got exacerbated worldwide after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a significant increase in the number of depression cases. Mental health issues have long been equated with psychotic disorders with symptoms like disruptive behaviour, hallucinations, etc. Unfortunately, India doesn't have a robust healthcare system in place to treat persons affected with melancholia. All of us go through disappointments and disillusionments from time to time in our life. While these are normal occurrences in life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. But just as physically healthy people are better able to bounce back from illness or injury, people with strong mental health and resilience are better able to ameliorate adversity, trauma, and stress. Therefore, the way forward is a sustained conversation regarding mental health in an understandable language, one that is 'inclusive.' Mental health issues, if experienced by an individual, need to be accepted as normal, because they are. Perhaps, social reformation and national level campaigns on mental health programmes and suicide awareness initiatives can go a long way in addressing mental disorders.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai – 600091.