Supreme Court agrees to hear PIL seeking population control measures

(Representative image)

India’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear a public interest litigation seeking measures for population control.

The PIL has cited overpopulation as a violation of fundamental rights.

The apex court issued a notice to the Centre seeking a reply to the plea, which has been filed by Swami Jitendranand Saraswati.

India, the world’s second-most populous country, is projected to surpass China as the most populous country next year, according to United Nation’s World Population Prospects report.

According to the report, India's population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared to China's 1.426 billion.

India is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China's 1.317 billion people by the middle of the century.

The report, compiled by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, notes that the global population is projected to reach 8 billion on November 15, 2022.

The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under one per cent in 2020. The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world's population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.