The latest UN figures say India has already overtaken China in population. However, yesterday's Times of India front page had an article saying that India's per capita GDP is the worst among the major economies and lower than Angola. So why do LW economists insist that concerns over overpopulation are "elitist" and RW economists insist that India has a "demographic dividend"? It's obvious that we are burdened with too many uneducated, poor, economically unproductive people. Only 10% of the country is properly educated, economically stable and contributes to GDP. What's wrong if the former are forced to sterilise after 1 child?

India has become the world's most populous country, overtaking China, shows data released by the United Nations today. According to UN estimates, India's population is 142.86 crore against China's 142.57 crore.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-overtakes-china-to-become-worlds-most-populous-nation-with-142-86-crore-people-says-un-news-agency-pti-3960838

Men with 2 kids should have vasectomies. Those with 4 kids should have their balls chopped off. Having so many kids not only perpetuates poverty but is an act of violence against women, because women from traditional families have no say over the number of children they will have. It’s very common for village women to keep giving birth to girls unless a boy is born. You will see women with 3 older daughters and 2 younger sons. This is gender violence.

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You are right to an extent. The problem is income inequality and lack of employment opportunities. It's great to say we have the largest population capable of working, but how many are unemployed or underemployed? Even the educated class is often not skilled enough and their degrees do not prepare them for work due to poor educational capacities, policies and syllabi and a proliferation of for-profit and questionable private institutions.

Income inequality is a huge problem - the resources of the rich are unimaginable. Redistribution of wealth is a touchy topic and I am no economist, but something needs to give. Having such a gaping difference between the haves and have-nots will create more social instability which isn't good for either the rich or the poor.

Controlling population is not just about banning or penalizing having more than a certain number of children, but also about rising income levels, education and access to safe contraceptive methods. Many countries have declining populations because of these reasons and not punitive measures adopted by China.

It is alarming that India has the world's largest population because of depleting and unequitable distribution of resources. The depletion of resources is also hastened due to the impact of climate change. Can this be addressed? I hope so but without any drastic intervention, there are going to be losers and the gap is going to increase. And the ones affected will be the poorest.