With low birth-weight babies born every day to malnourished mothers, it is almost impossible today to convert these people into assets,'' he says. Murli Dhar Vemuri, professor of demography, Centre for Study of Regional Development, JNU, is not quite so harsh. But he too feels that though human beings ought to be considered an asset, beyond a point they become a liability. Marie Bhat, internationally acknowledged demographer and professor at the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi, feels that you cannot achieve quality without sacrificing quantity. This is what drives fertility decline.
People trade in family size for a better quality of life.
The good news is that fertility levels are falling and the greatest levels of reduction have come from the illiterate classes. Nina Puri, president, Family Planning Association of India, says people have children, nations have populations. People who want smaller families do not have access to contraception. Give them quality services and education and you are looking at a productive population, she adds. It is time to stop counting people and instead begin counting on people.