'Can Destroy Karachi Port...': Indian Navy's STARK Ultimatum To Pakistan Over New 'Misadventure'
Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod issued a stern warning to Pakistan during a press conference. He stated that any hostile action from Pakistan would be met with a decisive Indian response. He also emphasised that Pakistan is well aware of the consequences of provoking India again.
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Hans India
13 minutes ago
- Hans India
India's population hits 1.46 bn, sees decline in fertility rate
New Delhi: India's population is estimated to reach 1.46 billion in 2025, continuing to be the highest in the world, according to a new UN demographic report, which also revealed the country's total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement rate. UNFPA's 2025 State of World Population (SOWP) Report, The Real Fertility Crisis, calls for a shift from panic over falling fertility to addressing unmet reproductive goals. Millions of people are not able to realise their real fertility goals, it asserts. This is the real crisis, not underpopulation or overpopulation, and the answer lies in greater reproductive agency - a person's ability to make free and informed 150 per cent choices about sex, contraception and starting a family, it says. The report also reveals key shifts in population composition, fertility, and life expectancy, signalling a major demographic transition. The report found that India's total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, falling below the replacement level of 2.1. This means that, on average, Indian women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to the next, without migration. Despite the slowing birth rate, India's youth population remains significant, with 24 per cent in the age bracket of 0-14, 17 per cent in 10-19, and 26 per cent in 10-24. The country's 68 per cent of the population is of working age (15-64), providing a potential demographic dividend, if matched by adequate employment and policy support. The elderly population (65 and older) currently stands at seven per cent, a figure that is expected to rise in the coming decades as life expectancy improves. As of 2025, life expectancy at birth is projected to be 71 years for men and 74 years for women. According to the UN estimates, India's population at present stands at 1,463.9 million. India is now the world's most populous nation, with nearly 1.5 billion people – a number expected to grow to about 1.7 billion before it begins to fall, around 40 years from now, the report said. Behind these numbers are the stories of millions of couples who decided to start or expand their families, as well as the stories of women who had few choices about whether, when or how often they became pregnant, the report said. In 1960, when India's population was about 436 million, the average woman had nearly six children. Back then, women had less control over their bodies and lives than they do today. Fewer than 1 in 4 used some form of contraception, and fewer than 1 in 2 attended primary school (World Bank Data, 2020), the report said. But in the coming decades, educational attainment increased, access to reproductive healthcare improved, and more women gained a voice in the decisions that affected their lives. The average woman in India now has about two children. While women in India, and every other country, have more rights and choices today than their mothers or grandmothers did, they still have a long way to go before they are empowered to have the number of children they want, if any, when they want them. The UN report placed India in a group of middle-income countries undergoing rapid demographic change, with population doubling time now estimated at 79 years. "India has made significant progress in lowering fertility rates – from nearly five children per woman in 1970 to about two today, thanks to improved education and access to reproductive healthcare," said Andrea M Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative. This has led to major reductions in maternal mortality, meaning millions more mothers are alive today, raising children and building communities. Yet, deep inequalities persist across states, castes, and income groups. "The real demographic dividend comes when everyone has the freedom and means to make informed reproductive choices.'
India.com
17 minutes ago
- India.com
India's Birth Rate Hits Historic Low – What It Really Means For The Future
New Delhi: In a country that once worried about having too many mouths to feed, a quieter and more unexpected concern is now surfacing. Indian families are choosing to have fewer children, and it is starting to show. A recent UN report reveals that India's fertility rate has dipped below the replacement level, meaning that, on average, women are now having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size over time. While the total population is still growing and currently stands at 1.46 billion (the largest in the world), the nature of that growth is changing. So what is happening, and why should you care? Back in 1960, the average Indian woman had nearly six children. At that time, India was grappling with rapid population growth, limited access to education for women and almost no reproductive healthcare. Fast forward to today. The average woman now has fewer than two children. According to the UNFPA's State of World Population 2025 report, India's total fertility rate has fallen to 1.9, below the 'replacement rate' of 2.1 – the threshold needed for a stable population without migration. This is a important milestone. It means that India is now part of a global shift that is quietly reshaping societies, fewer babies, aging populations and a new set of economic and social challenges. Not a Crisis The UN is not calling this a crisis. In fact, it warns against the fear-driven headlines about 'population collapse'. What is more urgent, the report argues, is the unmet desire of millions of people who still do not have the power to decide if, when or how many children they want. In simple terms – this is not only about numbers. It is about choice. As Andrea Wojnar, UNFPA's India head, puts it, 'The real demographic dividend comes when everyone has the freedom and means to make informed reproductive choices.' Despite falling birth rates, India still has one of the youngest populations in the world – nearly a quarter of its citizens are under 14 and two-thirds are of working age. This is both an opportunity and a responsibility. With the right investments in jobs, education and healthcare, India could harness this 'youth bulge' for massive economic growth. But it is a narrow window. As life expectancy rises (now 74 for women, 71 for men), the proportion of elderly citizens will grow too. In the coming decades, India will face a very different problem – how to care for an aging population without enough younger workers to support them. What's Behind the Shift? The drop in fertility did not happen overnight. It is the result of decades of progress – better education for girls, wider access to contraception, urbanization and changing social norms. More women are staying in school, working and making decisions about their lives. That empowerment, experts say, is what is really driving the change. Still, the report warns that inequality runs deep. In some states and communities, access to reproductive healthcare remains limited. Many women, especially in rural or low-income areas, still have little say in reproductive decisions. India is not alone in facing these changes. Many countries, from South Korea to Spain, are seeing similar patterns – fewer births, smaller families and longer lives. The takeaway? Falling fertility is not failure. It is a sign that more people are making decisions on their own terms. The real challenge now is making sure that freedom extends to everyone, regardless of where they live, what they earn or who they are.
Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- Indian Express
BJP at Shaheen Bagh: Muslim girls should aim for the Army
In a move aimed at expanding its outreach into the Muslim-dominated areas of the national capital, the BJP's Minority Morcha held a 'minority chaupal' in Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday. The main purpose of this chaupal was to encourage young Muslim girls to consider careers in the Indian Army, it said. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, an Indian Army officer who garnered attention during Operation Sindoor, was repeatedly cited as a role model throughout the event. This was the BJP's first such chaupal in the Capital under a broader national campaign celebrating the first-year anniversary of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office. The event was held in a modest hotel room in the heart of the neighbourhood that rose to national prominence during the 2020 anti-CAA protests. 'Our daughter should become strong, she should be educated, she should be independent…,' said Jamal Siddiqui, National President of the BJP Minority Morcha and chief guest at the event. 'If anyone tries to harass, scare, or intimidate her, she should be able to give a befitting reply. We have to take our daughters out of their homes and into society. They should also go to the border… and show the strength of Indian women.' 'To teach Pakistan a lesson, the leadership of (explaining) air strikes on terrorist bases was handed over to two daughters, Colonel Sophia and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, and the world has been introduced to the courage, valour and bravery of Indian women,' he added. The chaupal featured a small but engaged gathering of two women and 20 party workers, and sought to familiarise attendees with the Agniveer recruitment scheme and other opportunities in the Armed Forces. Organisers also distributed copies of the Constitution and announced a one-stop camp for registrations under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. 'This is not just about Army recruitment,' said Ashu Chaudhary, Delhi State Executive Member of the Minority Morcha and the event's coordinator. 'It's about rights, awareness, and helping women from our community imagine a future where they are leaders.' Attendees were also handed 'data books' — kits detailing key government schemes across sectors such as education, employment, and health — with instructions to imitate similar minority chaupals in their localities and to share the data with other members of the Muslim community. The BJP's choice of Shaheen Bagh for the pilot chaupal carries political weight. Once the epicentre of the months-long protests, led largely by Muslim women against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the neighbourhood had become a symbol of resistance — and now, as the BJP frames it, potential transformation. 'We all are sons of India. We all are citizens of India. These 11 years of the Modi government have brought light where there was darkness,' Siddiqui declared. Launching a scathing attack against the BJP's political rivals, he added, 'The Congress and AAP created that darkness. Now, it is our duty to spread awareness, take the government's message and schemes to the people.'
