Objective Geography

 

Geography Book for All APPSC Exams Telugu Medium

Population

 

Migration

 

Indian Geography

 

India’s Demographic Dividend: Significance of population growth, challenges associated with demographic dividend, potential impact on the economy

According to the United Nations data, India has surpassed China to become world's most populous nation with 142.86 crore people.

According to the United Nations data, India has overtaken China in population recently. India’s population surpassed 1.4286 billion and it is slightly higher than China’s 1.425 billion. Though India’s birth rate has slowed down in recent years, the country has a larger working-age population in absolute numbers (1.1 billion) and proportion (75 percent of the population) than any other major economy.

On the other hand, China is ageing, with its population declining in 2022for the first time in more than 60 years. Its economic growth, which had skyrocketed at an average of nearly 10 percent a year since 1978, is now anaemic: The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew just 3 percent in 2022, and even by Beijing’s own estimates, is expected to increase by just5 percent this year.

Demographic dividend:

In  this  context  a  term  that  has  become  a  buzzword  is “Demographic dividend” which refers to the faith in India's huge youth population which is expected to hoist India up with its energy and exuberance. India with its huge population is a young country and is bestowed with a unique demographic opportunity.

Policymakers began viewing a growing young population in the form of the so-called demographic dividend — when a majority of a country’s population falls within the working ages (15-64 years) — as an engine for further economic development.

According  to  United  Nations  Population  Fund  report,  25 percent  of  India's  population  is  in  the  age  group  of  0-14 years, 18 per cent in the 10 to 19 age group, 26 per cent in  the  age  bracket  of  10  to  24  years,  68  per  cent  in  15 to  64  years  age  group,  and  7  per  cent  above  65  years. A demographic dividend is said to be occurring when the ratio of the working-age population is high and the dependency ratio in terms of the proportion of children and elderly people is low. This advantage can create the resources needed to increase investments in enhancing human capabilities, which, in turn, can have a positive influence on the growth and development of the society and the country.

There is need to harness this ‘demographic dividend’ for the nation’s economic growth and youth empowerment. According to a CII report from last year, India’s demographic dividend can boost India's GDP growth — from the current $3 trillion to $9 trillion by 2030 and $40 trillion by 2047. While India is likely to add 101 million people in the working age population between 2020-30, this number will reduce to 61 million and then to 21 million for 2030-40 and 2040-50, respectively. It is expected that India's working age population will start declining in the decade post 2050.

From  a  demographic  perspective,  a  youthful  age  structure ensures that the global population will continue to grow even if  average  fertility  drops  immediately  to  the  “replacement level”, at which each generation bears the exact number of children needed to replace itself. Indeed, fully two thirds of the anticipated increase in global population between 2020 and 2050 will be driven by the momentum of growth embedded in the relatively youthful age distribution of the world’s population in 2020.A large working-age population makes India attractive, not just from the labour market perspective but because the country could act as a large market for goods and services. The Demographic dividend has already helped India’s economic growth since the 1990s and country succeeded quite well in moving people from farms to factories. This was a cultural change  caused  by  policy  interventions  and  helped  by  the demographic changes.

Challenges associated with high population growth:

There is no denying the fact that high population growth rates impose pressure on finite resources, human, financial, and environmental. Evidence suggests that less than one-third of the anticipated increase in the use of natural resources until 2050 would be the result of population growth. Rapid population increase can exacerbate the challenge of ensuring that future development is sustainable and inclusive. Achieving  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals,  particularly those related to health, education and gender equality, can contribute to slowing global population growth.

Population growth magnifies the harmful impact of economic processes on the environment; yet the rise in per capita income has been more important than population growth in driving increased production and consumption. Rapid population growth makes it more difficult for low-income and  lower-middle-income  countries  to  afford  the  increase in public expenditures on a per capita basis that is needed to eradicate poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, and ensure universal access to health care, education and other essential services.

India has successfully slowed down the growth of the population significantly over the past decades without resorting to coercive practices. It has invested strategically to tap its demographic advantage and position itself as the provider of manpower for countries across the world, where aging and the non-availability of workers are posing serious challenges. Yet for that young workforce to earn and save well, India needs enough well-paying jobs designed to serve the modern economy. That’s increasingly proving a struggle for India. It is wrong to say that India’s youth bulge is a double-edged sword. To gain from it, India will need to create enough employment opportunities for the millions who enter its workforce every year — a challenge at which it is currently failing. For that, India needs to attract global investments. The window of opportunity is shrinking, and unless India moves quickly, its demographic dividend could easily turn into an unemployment nightmare.

Census

The deadline for finalizing the administrative boundaries of districts, tehsils, towns, and other divisions has been extended until December 31, implying that the Census will not take place before the 2024 General Elections.

✓ The decennial Census exercise that was to be conducted in 2021 was postponed indefinitely, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

✓ The commencement is scheduled for April 2024. However, the latest order also does not specify any reason.

✓ It is noteworthy that India has conducted a Census every decade since 1881, even persevering through World War II.

✓ The forthcoming Census will mark a significant milestone as it will be the first digital Census, allowing citizens the opportunity to self-enumerate.

Population Projection for India:

According to the “Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections” published by the National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the population projections for India (2011-2036) is:

The population of India is expected to increase from 121.1 crore (1.211 billion) to 151.8 crore (1.518 billion) during this period.

This indicates an overall increase of 25% over 25 years, with an average annual growth rate of 1.0%.

Consequently, the population density is projected to rise from 368 persons per square kilometer to 462 persons per square kilometer.

It is important to note that these projections are based on Census 2011 data.

About Census:

The census provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.

Census is essentially a two-step process involving a house-listing and numbering exercise followed by the actual population enumeration.

House-listing and numbering takes place in the middle of the year prior to the Census year.

Population enumeration happens in two to three weeks of February.

Background of Census:

According to “Rig Veda,” a population count was kept about 800-600 BC.

In his Arthasastra, Kautilya (c. 321-296 BC) emphasised the importance of census taking as a gauge of state policy for taxation purposes.

The administrative report ‘Ain-e-Akbari’ from the reign of Mughal monarch Akbar had extensive information about the population, industry, wealth, and many other aspects.

India’s first census was carried out in 1872, during the administration of Lord Mayo, the Governor-General. In 1881, the first comprehensive synchronised Census was carried out.

Henry Walter is widely regarded as the “Father of the Indian Census.”

Census 2021 will be the eighth since independence and the 16th such effort overall.

Constitutional and Legal Provision for Census:

Constitutional Provision: A Census is Constitutionally mandated in India, but it does not say when the Census has to be carried out, or what the frequency of this exercise should be. Thus, there is no Constitutional or legal requirement that a Census has to be done every 10 years.

The population census is a Union subject under Article 246 of India Constitution.

It is listed at serial number 69 of the seventh schedule of the constitution.

Legal Provision for Census: The Census of India Act of 1948, which provides the legal framework for carrying out the Census, also does not mention its timing or periodicity.

The Act makes it obligatory on the part of every citizen to answer the Census question truthfully and also penalises for giving false information.

Office: The decennial Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs.

It was formed for arranging, conducting and analysing the results of the demographic surveys of India including Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India.

Census Rules, created in 1990, were amended by the Union government in 2022 to enable self-enumeration by respondents as well as the capture and storage of information in electronic form.

Significance of Census:

The Census is the only reliable source of population information for every village and town in the nation.

Census data are used by researchers and demographers to forecast population growth and trends.

Contains the most reliable statistics: Information on language, religion, migration, disability, SCs and STs, housing & household amenities, urbanisation, literacy and education, and a variety of other sociocultural and demographic statistics.

Good governance: The government uses the census data for management, planning, and policy-making, as well as for managing and evaluating a number of activities.

Reservation: The number of seats that must be set aside for SCs and STs in the Parliament, State legislatures, local authorities, and government services is determined using the Census data.

The number of seats reserved for SCs and STs in panchayats and municipal authorities is determined by their share in the population.

Future planning: It offers solutions to organise, deal with issues, and make improvements. Government conducts an examination of the census data and develops future policies in accordance.

Funding: Based on population figures obtained from the Census data, the Finance Commission awards payments to the states.

Welfare programmes: Census is the key to establishing identification and reaffirming it over time by identifying the actual beneficiaries. Census statistics provide for easy intertemporal comparison.

Consequences of Delayed Census:

Trust Factor: The reliability of outdated census data, which is still available from the 2011 Census, has an impact on both people who do and do not benefit from assistance programmes.

It may be necessary for researchers and decision-makers to rely on old data or other data sources, which might not offer the same level of precision or granularity.

Census data are essential since other sample surveys carried out throughout the nation refer to them. For instance, data from the 2011 census were utilised in the most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which was published last year.

Policy Planning: Accurate census data is necessary for spotting trends as they emerge, evaluating needs, and exploiting opportunities.

Missed opportunities for targeted interventions, economic planning, and commercial decisions can be brought on by a census delay.

Funds Allocation: When allocating funds to the states, the Finance Commission takes census statistics into consideration.

Funding distribution to the states would be disproportionate without precise data.

Migration data: Census information is essential for understanding migration, migration patterns, and the economic effects of migration.

Because of the Census’s delay, policymakers and planners do not have access to the most recent data on domestic and international migration.

Delimitation/reservation of Constituencies: Panchayats that have seen rapid changes in the composition of their population over the last decade, would mean that either too many or too few seats are being reserved.

Delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies would continue to be based on the 2001 Census till data from a Census after 2026 are published.

Rural-urban distribution of population: There is high population growth in urban areas. Some cities have been growing faster than others through in-migration.

For example, areas under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike grew by 49.3% during 2001-11, while the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (11.9%), the Delhi Municipal Corporation (11.7%), and Greater Chennai Corporation (7.0%) had much lower growth rates.

Conclusion:

The census is vital and precious as it is a repository of complete data about the country which is gathered openly, voluntarily, and with the use of public money, making it a social good.

The new Census is likely to capture the extent of the observed movement in migration trends towards smaller two-tier towns apart from the large metropolitan centre.

Inaccuracies in population statistics, stymied planning and development, difficulties with resource allocation, effects on political representation, restrictions on research and analysis, and missed chances for decision-making are just a few of the many consequences of a delayed census.

Thus, it is crucial to complete the census on time in order to ensure accurate and current data for efficient governance and growth.

APPSC GROUP-II - DEMOGRAPHY

 

APPSC GROUP-II - Human Geography of India - Migration

APPSC GROUP-II - Human Geography of India - Human Development - Demographics - Urbanization and Migration

NEW DISTRICTS OF ANDHRA PRADESH

 

ANDHRA PRADESH

Geographical view

Area: 160,205 km²

Land Structure: It contains plain (Andhra plains), Plateau (Rayalsima plateau, khammamplatue), Mountains (Eastern Ghats Vijayawada hills)

Important river: Krishna, Penneru, Godavari,

Main Crops: Rice, jowar, bajra, wheat, maize etc...  

Climate: tropical climate 

Main minerals: due to the variety of rocksand minerals it is called as ratnaGarbha.

First in iron ore production, magnese ore etc it is top producer of minerals in india.

Largest mica producer

Industries: AP ranks 4th at National level in IT performance.

River and dams

Sl.No.	River	Dam	Nearest City	Remark
1.	Krishna	a)Srisailam b)Nagarjuna Sagar c)Parkasam Barrage	Kurnool Guntur Guntur	Gravity & Earth-fill
2.	Godavari	Dowleswaram Barrage Polavaram Project	Rajamundry	For irrigation
3.	Machkund River/ Sileru	Lower Sileru hydro	Visakhapatnam Khammam
4.	Penneru		Nellore, Cuddapah
5.	Nagavati		Srikulam

National Parks

Name of National Park	Special Species (if any important)	Important Remarks
Sri Venkateshwara National Park	have many waterfalls	---
Gundla brahmeswaram park		is Located between Kurnool and Prakasam districts over the Nallamallai mountain range
Coringa National Park	more than 120 birds species are found	situated near Kakinada port
The Alisagar Deer park	---	It is decorated with hillocks and flower gardens that increase the beauty of park

Reserved parks

Reserve Parks	Special Species (if any important)	Important Remarks
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam	tiger reserve	spread over five districts (Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam&Guntoor)
Rollapadu WLS	Only habitat for the endangered Great Indian Bustard	located in the Kurnool district
Pulicat Lake WLS		located in Nellore, Chittoor districts

Famous temple

Sl.No.	Monument/Temple/Sites	Located in	Remarks
1	Venkateswara Temple Tirumala(Tirupati Balaji)	in Chittoor District
2	Srisailam	Kurnool District	The sanctum sanctorium is covered with gold
3	Vinayaka Temple Kanipakam	Chittoor District on the banks of river Bahuda	temple of Lord SwayambuVinayaka
4	Sri Veereswara Swamy Temple	Muramalla	This holy shrine is the abode of Lord Sri Veereswaraswamy
5	Amaravati	Guntur District	known as Dhanyakataka/Dharanikota   great Buddhist site Stupa built in pre-Mauryan times
6	Lakshmi Narasimha Temple	It is situated at the foot of the Auspicious Hill in Mangalagiri of Guntur district	one of the eight sacred places of Lord Vishnu in India.

Major Airports

1. Visakhapatnam Airport: Visakhapatnam 

2. Vijayawada Airport: Vijayawada

3. Cuddapah Airport: Cuddapah

Ports

AP is the secound maritime state (after Gujrat) in terms of cargo handled. 

1. Visakhapatnam Port: Visakhapatnam District (It is the fifth busiest port in India in terms of Cargo handled)

2. Kakinada Port: East Godavari District

Thermal Power plants in Andhra pradesh

Name of Thermal Power Plant	Location	Important Remarks
RayalaseemaThrmal Power plant	Cuddapah,	1050 megawatt (MW)  coal plant
vemagiri Power plant	EAstGodawari	388 MW gas based
vijayawada thermal plant	Krishna	coal-based power plants
Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant	Visakhapatnam	coal-fired power plant
Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station	Nellore	coal-based power plants

Full List of State Birds of India 2015

State	Common name	Binomial nomenclature
Andhra Pradesh	Indian roller	Coracias benghalensis
Arunachal Pradesh	Great hornbill	Buceros bicornis
Assam	White-winged wood duck	Asarcornis scutulata
Bihar	Indian roller	Coracias benghalensis
Chhattisgarh	Bastar hill myna	Gracula religiosa peninsularis
Goa	Black-crested bulbul	Pycnonotus flaviventris
Gujarat	Greater flamingo	Phoenicopterus roseus
Haryana	Black francolin	Francolinus francolinus
Himachal Pradesh	Western tragopan (Jujurana)	Tragopan melanocephalus
Jammu and Kashmir	Black-necked crane	Grus nigricollis
Jharkhand	Asian koel	Eudynamys scolopaceus
Karnataka	Indian roller	Coracias benghalensis
Kerala	Great hornbill	Buceros bicornis
Madhya Pradesh	Asian paradise flycatcher	Terpsiphone paradisi
Maharashtra	Yellow-footed green pigeon	Treron phoenicoptera
Manipur	Mrs. Hume's pheasant	Syrmaticus humiae
Meghalaya	Hill myna	Gracula religiosa peninsularis
Mizoram	Mrs. Hume's pheasant	Syrmaticus humiae
Nagaland	Blyth's tragopan	Tragopan blythii
Odisha	Indian roller	Coracias benghalensis
Punjab	Northern goshawk	Accipiter gentilis
Rajasthan	Great Indian bustard	Ardeotis nigriceps
Sikkim	Blood pheasant	Ithaginis cruentus
Tamil Nadu	Emerald dove	Chalcophaps indica
Telangana	Indian roller	Coracias benghalensis
Tripura	Green imperial pigeon	Ducula aenea
Uttarakhand	Himalayan monal	Lophophorus impejanus
Uttar Pradesh	Sarus crane	Grus antigone
West Bengal	White-breasted kingfisher	Halcyon smyrnensis
Puducherry (UT)	Asian koel	Eudynamys scolopaceus
Lakshadweep (UT)	Sooty tern	Onychoprion fuscatus
Delhi(NCT)	House sparrow	Passer domesticus