July 01, 2023

As India's population soars, human rights must be protected

topic:	Human Rights
located:	India
editor:	Bindu Gopal Rao

As the world's most populous nation, India has over 1.4 billion people, equivalent to 17.7 percent of the global population. With 35 percent of people living in urban areas, the population density has grown to 464 persons per square kilometre. Since this growth in population size is expected to continue in the country, it is key that the Indian government should prioritise protecting the human rights of all of its citizens.

A 2023 report by Human Rights Watch has pointed out the high levels of discrimination against minority communities, the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, and issues of freedom of expression, especially for independent media. In fact, during a recent press conference when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the USA, journalists questioned the abuses of human rights occurring under his administration’s watch. While the Prime Minister negated the question, there has been much backlash regarding the online trolling of the outspoken journalist.

While there has been a cloud on human rights, the country's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has stated that despite these issues, they are continuously working to improve the situation especially by focusing on key issues, like improving the access to education and ending human trafficking.

One of the challenges to implementing human rights, however, remains the lack of accountability for official misconduct seen at various levels within the government, the shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened court system, as per a US report. This is again something that India has negated.

So how can the situation be improved? As poverty is a key issue the Government has initiated multiple programmes including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA), the National Rural Livelihood Missions (NRLM) and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) to mitigate the same.

The other issue is how the healthcare system in the country is deeply vulnerable, something that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed, and which is a result of the country's low expenditure on public health. The last couple of years have seen a digital push as far as healthcare is concerned and the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence as a tool to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

The other issue that needs undertaking is how the country is addressing issues around water shortages and extreme heat as a result of climate change that is impacting the citizens. While some steps are being taken, the growing population continues to be the biggest challenge in implementation. And this is exactly the question that policy makers and the Government must address ahead of World Population Day on 11 July.

Image by Sharon Christina Rørvik

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