Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the dwindling population growth in Odisha, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) state head Mohammad Nadeem Noor said that the demographic transition will have a toll on economic development of the state. “The state’s population growth rate has been constantly declining since 1971.
Earlier, it accounted for 4 per cent of the country’s total population which has come down to 3.5 per cent,” he pointed out. Noor was having a conversation with corporate and CSR heads on demography and development, organised by the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) here Wednesday. “While the 2.1 fertility rate per woman indicates a stable socio-economic condition, the rate has been dropped to 1.8 and by 2036 it will further decrease to 1.2,” he said. Amidst a drop in fertility rate and a rise in life expectancy, the elderly population in the state is expanding. The projection indicates that the population aged 60 and above is set to surge from 3.9 million in 2011 to 8 million by 2036, he warned. CYSD co-founder Jagadananda stressed on the urgency of reviewing state policies to align with evolving demographics. “We require a collaborative effort involving private sectors, government bodies, civil society organisations (CSOs), corporations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) wings and academics to deliberate on the issue,” he said.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP