It has been more than three years since the war between Russia and Ukraine began. On February 24, 2022, the Russian tank entered the Ukrainian border, causing a wave of destruction which continues today.
After Donald Trump was elected President for the second time in the US, it was said to stop the war through his intervention, but no concrete results were achieved. Despite being a small country, Ukraine does not care about powerful Russia. How many people of which country were killed in this war that lasted for three years, it is a highly controversial subject. No country is willing to tell its real death number. There is no doubt that this war has given a big blow to Russia’s reputation as a superpower. Now he has a shortage of warriors. The economy is in a bad state and the help of mercenaries is being taken to fight Ukraine. Different figures are coming out regarding Russia’s loss. According to the BBC analysis, the war in Ukraine has entered its fourth year and so far more than 95,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. However, according to a report by Al Jazeera, Ukraine Commander-in-Chief Colonel Olexander Sirski claims that 427,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war by 30 December 2024. Independent demographicist and Moscow sociologist Dimitri Zakotyansky estimates that at least two lakh Russians were killed in the war.
Given the dwindling population of Russia, President Putin has appealed to women to have at least three children. It is surprising that the government has now offered to give money to college students instead of having children. The Orayol region government located in Central Russia near the Ukrainian border has offered the school students to give one lakh rubles or about 1,200 dollars (one lakh rupees) for becoming a mother. The scheme is in force since January. Usually, the maximum age of girls studying in school is 16–17 years. Being a mother at such a young age can have a bad effect on the health of girls, but the government has taken this strange decision in view of the increasing population. In addition, there is no minimum age limit to become a mother. This scheme will not apply to mothers who give birth to a dead child. There are 40 other areas in Russia that encourage university students to have children. But Orayol is the first Russian province to give schoolgirls money when he becomes a mother. However, experts have described this remedy as insufficient and clumsy. According to him, this plan will not be effective until better security and ideal economic status is provided to new mothers.
Earlier, the government started a TV program called ‘Pregnant at 16’ to oppose adolescent pregnancy, which has now been renamed as ‘Mama et 16’ to highlight the beauty of motherhood. The leaders here sometimes make controversial suggestions for population growth. A local politician from Tarusa city suggested that women should wear short skirts in summer to increase population. After heavy criticism, the MP of the Liberal Democratic Party clarified that he had jokingly made this comment. However, he also said that. The short skirt of women attracts men, which increases the chances of marriage and children. The Russian government, worried about the decline in the population, is taking strange steps. Recently, the government has proposed to open the Ministry of Sex in the country. This ministry will work on various schemes and programs to encourage citizens to have children, which will increase the country’s population. The government is planning to bear the cost of honeymoon of the newlyweds. Under which the couples will be borne by the expenses of other facilities including hotels on honeymoon, as well as the government has proposed to give Rs 5,000 for the first date. Russia already had a low birth rate and the population has been steadily declining since the Kovid-19 epidemic. In such a situation, there has been a big decline from the war with Ukraine. In 2024, 1.22 million children will be born in the country, which is 3.4 percent less than in 2023. This is the lowest birth rate in the last 25 years. In contrast, the death toll increased by 3.3 percent to 1.82 million. During this period, there has been a 20 percent increase in migration from the country. The fertility rate in Russia is only 1.5. Abortion has also been described as a major reason for the fall in the population. In 2022, more than five million abortion was performed in the country. Putin has been presenting Russia as a country with traditional values. They believe that Russia is struggling against the falling society of the West. Russia’s population was 148 million in the early 1990s, which declined to 143.8 million in 2023. According to the United Nations estimate, Russia’s population can be reduced to 120 million by 2050. Putin has signed a law to postpone Russia’s population census by 2029. Experts believe that Putin has taken this step to prevent the deaths of Russian soldiers from becoming public in the Ukrainian war. Russia has to suffer serious consequences due to the fall in population. Lack of workers has affected the country’s development efforts. The growing elderly population is putting a financial burden on the government. Revenue including taxes is declining due to decrease in the number of employees.
Not only Russia, but in many countries around the world, population is declining rapidly, the main reason is the declining fertility rate in women. In many countries, the birth rate per female birth rate has fallen below 2.1. Due to economic challenges, increasing urbanization and changing social norms, the trend of not getting married in young men and women is gaining momentum. According to a report, in 2023, the most population declined was 0.23 percent in Europe, while all other continents saw an increase. North America and Asia increased 0.6 percent, Latin America and Caribbean 0.7 percent, Oceania 1.1 percent and Africa 2.3 percent. Due to the highest fertility rate in African women, more than 100 percent of the world’s population growth occurs on this continent. Six of the most population declining countries in the world are in Europe, including Greece, San Marino, Belarus, Bosnia and Herjegovina, Albania and Kosovo. The population has declined due to rising elderly population, low birth rate, high immigration rate etc. In contrast, population is growing rapidly in Africa and some countries of South Asia. Birth rates are increasing in countries such as Nigeria and Ethiopia. However, the population growth is likely to slow down in the coming decades due to urbanization and economic challenges in these countries. According to data from the United Nations Population Division, due to the deaths in war with Russia, the migration of refugees and low birth rates, Ukraine saw the largest population decline between 2022 and 2023, which was 8.10 percent. Tuvalu declined by 1.80 percent in population, 1.60 percent in Greece, 1.10 percent in San Marino, one percent in Kosovo, 0.70 percent in St. Vincents and Grenadines, 0.60 percent in Belarus, 0.60 percent in Bosnia and Herjegovina, 0.60 percent in Albania and 0.50 percent in Japan. St. Vincent and Grenadines people migrate to countries such as the United States and Canada for jobs. The youth of Albania are going towards Europe for better employment opportunities. Japan has been facing problems such as increasing number of older people and low fertility rates over the years.
Population growth campaign in South Indian states
Last year, India became the world’s most populous country, leaving behind China. Currently, India has a population of about 145 crores. Currently, the issue of delimitation of election seats is in controversy. The states of South India fear that if the population is delimited, their representation in Parliament will be reduced. If this happens, the central government will have to fight to get money, farmers will be affected and culture and development will be in danger. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the states which have strictly implemented family planning for population control and have achieved success in it will reduce state seats. That is why the Chief Minister and ministers of southern states are now promoting population growth. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently advised the youth to have children soon after marriage at a wedding ceremony and said that more population is the criteria to get more parliamentary seats. He said that Tamil Nadu has achieved success in population control, but now the state is suffering its consequences. Similarly, the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have also recently appealed to the couples to have more children. The Andhra Pradesh government has also abolished the policy of two children in the local body elections. The neighboring state of Telangana is also likely to take decisions in this direction. India’s fertility rate, which was 5.7 in 1950, has fallen below 2. That is, the fertility rate of women in India in 1950 was more than five children, which has now come down to two. The replacement level of two children per woman has fallen in 17 states of the country. Replacement level means the number of children born for a stable population.
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