India : Population (Demography) Part-VI

Total Questions: 50

41. The total fertility rate in India is highest in: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2001]

Correct Answer: (b) Bihar
Solution:During the question period, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of Uttar Pradesh was higher than all other States of India. According to the data of NFHS-5 (2019-21), the four States with the highest total fertility rates are: Bihar (3.0), Meghalaya (2.9), Uttar Pradesh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.3), while the States with the lowest TFRs are Sikkim (1.1) and Goa (1.3).

Hence, it is clear that, at present, the total fertility rate of Bihar is higher than all other States in India. The TFR of the country declined to 2.2 in 2018 (SRS) and as per NFHS-5 (2019-21) it is now reduced to 2.0.2

42. What is total fertility rate (TFR) in Chhattisgarh as per Fifth National Family Health Survey, 2019-21? [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

Correct Answer: (a) 1.8
Solution:As per Fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019- 21, the total fertility rate (TFR) in Chhattisgarh is at 1.8 children per woman. In urban areas of Chhattisgarh it is at 1.4 while in rural areas of Chhattisgarh, it is at 1.9.
  • Definition: TFR refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to bear during her reproductive years (usually 15-49 years) under current fertility patterns.
  • A TFR above 2.1 indicates population growth, around 2.1 suggests replacement-level fertility, while below 2.1 signals population decline and aging, leading to long-term socio-economic and workforce challenges for a country.
    Replacement Level TFR
  • Definition: Replacement level TFR is the average number of children per woman required to maintain a population at a stable level, without immigration. It is generally considered to be 2.1 for most populations.
  • Significance: Achieving replacement level fertility implies a balance between births and deaths, helping to stabilize the population in the long term.
    Mean Age at Effective Marriage
  • Definition: The Mean Age at Effective Marriage for females is the average age at which women actually begin living with their spouses, marking the start of marital cohabitation rather than just the legal or ceremonial marriage.
  • Significance: This measure better reflects the timing of exposure to the risk of childbearing, and is thus a more accurate indicator for analyzing fertility patterns and reproductive behavior compared to the age at formal marriage.
    Demographic dividend
  • Demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential resulting from a shift in a country's age structure, mainly when the working-age population is larger than the dependent population.
  • India's demographic dividend will continue at least till 2055-56. It will peak around 2041, when 59% of its population will be of working-age (20-59 years).
  • In India, this offers an opportunity to boost productivity and economic development, provided adequate investments are made in education, skills, and employment.

43. When the Couple Protection Rate is going up: [I.A.S. (Pre) 1993]

Correct Answer: (b) birth rate will fall only if couples are of younger age
Solution:The Couple Protection Rate (CPR) is the most effective way of reducing the birth rate. An increase in the couple protection rate is most effective if it occurs among younger couples.

The Couple Protection Rate (CPR) indicates the percentage of eligible couples who are effectively protected against childbirth by using approved family planning methods. It's a key indicator of contraceptive use and family planning program effectiveness. In India, the CPR is an important aspect of the National Family Planning Programme.

In the context of family planning in India, eligible couples are generally defined as married couples where the wife is within the reproductive age group (typically 15-49 years). CPR includes various contraceptive methods like condoms, pills, IUDs, injectables, sterilization, and others.

A higher CPR generally indicates greater access to and utilization of family planning services, contributing to population stabilization and improved maternal and child health. India has a long-standing National Family Planning Programme aimed at promoting family planning and improving CPR.

44. Assertion (A): The size of population and its composition are responsible for the social change. [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2000]

Reason (R): The fertility of occupational groups in which the wives engage more generally in gainful occupations is lower than that of other groups in the same economic category.

Codes:

Correct Answer: (a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Solution:The structure of population like education, health, economic status etc. are major major factors of social changes. Similarly, fertility of working women is lower than that of non- working women. Hence both the Assertion and the Reason are true and the Reason also explains the Assertion.

45. Which one of the following States has the highest female life expectancy at birth (year 2001-06)? [U.P.P.C.S. (Spl.) (Mains) 2004]

Correct Answer: (d) Punjab
Solution:The female life expectancy at birth (in years) in the given States are as follows:
StatesFemale Life Expectancy at Birth (2001-06)Female Life Expectancy at Birth (2016-20)
Punjab70.474.5
Odisha59.671.4
Uttar Pradesh59.566.7
Tamil Nadu67.475.5

46. If the birth and death rates are the same and there is no internal or external migration, then there is no change in the population, this is known as: [U.P.U.D.A.L.D.A. (Pre) 2013]

Correct Answer: (d) Stability of Population
Solution:Population stabilization is the level at which there is no change in population. The population of the World is said to be stable at a time when the birth and death rates are the same, how- ever in the cases of some specific countries, people coming to and going from the country are also counted in the population.

In such a situation, the level of population in that country will be said to be stable when the number of children born in the country and those coming from outside the country and the number of people who die in the country and those who go out of the country will be equal.

47. Crude death rate in India presently stands at: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2007]

Correct Answer: (a) below 9 percent
Solution:According to Economic-Survey 2006-07, the Crude death rate was 7.6 per thousand population in 2005. As per SRS Bulletin released in May 2022, the Crude death rate is 6.0 per thousand in the year 2020.

Crude Death Rate
Death rate plays an active role in population change. Population growth occurs not only by increasing births rate but also due to decreasing death rate. Crude Death Rate (CDR) is a simple method of measuring mortality of any area. CDR is expressed in terms of number of deaths in a particular year per thousand of population in a particular region.

The Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is expressed as number of live births in a year per thousand of population. It is calculated as:

CBR = Bi/P × 1000
Where Bi is the number of live births during the year and P is the mid-year population. This implies that A country with a population of 2 million and has 40,000 live births per year; it has a crude birth rate of 20.

48. Death rate in India in the year 2000, is estimated to be: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2001]

Correct Answer: (d) 9 per thousand
Solution:The death rate in India in the year 2000 was 8.5 per thousand, which is close to 9 per thousand. Hence, the correct option would be option (d). As per SRS bulletin data released in May 2022, India's death rate has been 6.0 per thousand in the year 2020.
  • The mortality rate or death rate is defined as the number of deaths in a particular population during a specific time.
  • According to World Bank's data, the mortality rate or crude death rate in India is 7.30 per 1000 persons.
  • In India, approximately 26789 deaths are reported per day.

49. Among the following in which State the death rate in the year 2015 was lowest? [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2017]

Correct Answer: (a) Maharashtra
Solution:As per the SRS Bulletin of December 2016, among the given States, the death rate in the year 2015 was lowest in Maharashtra.
StateDeath Rate (2015)Death Rate (2020)
Maharashtra5.85.5
West Bengal5.95.5
Gujarat6.15.6
Karnataka6.66.2

As per the SRS Bulletin of May 2022, for the year 2020, in 21 bigger States/UTs, the death rate ranges from 3.6 in NCT of Delhi to 7.9 in Chhattisgarh.

50. Consider the following statements: [I.A.S. (Pre) 2009]

1. Infant mortality rate takes into account the death of infants within a month after birth.

2. Infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths in a particular year per 100 live births during that year.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Solution:The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), which is widely accepted as a crude indicator of the overall health scenario of a country or a region, is defined as the infant deaths (less than one year) per thousand (1000) live births in a given time period (generally during a year) and for a given region. Hence, both of the given statements are incorrect.

1. AS per Census 2011, The infant mortality rate, which plays an important role in health planning, has shown a considerable decline from 129 per 1000 live births in 1971 to 110 in 1981 and from 80 in 1991 to 44 in 2011. The child mortality rate has depicted a perceptible decline from 51.9 in 1971 to 41.2 in 1981 and from 26.5 in 1991 to 12.2 in 2011.

2. Also, World Bank has indicated 28.3 as Infant Mortality Rate of India for 2019.
3. According to the latest sample registration system Bulletin, Infant Mortality Rate in Kerala - 7 (updated)
4. Infant Mortality Rate in Madhya Pradesh-48 (updated)
5. In India, Nagaland has the best Infant Mortality Rate which is at 4.
6. As per RBI, the Infant Mortality Rate of the National Capital Delhi is 13.
7. The infant mortality rate among females is higher than among males in all indian states except:
∗ Chhattisgarh
∗ Delhi
∗ Madhya Pradesh
∗ Tamil Nadu
∗ Uttarakhand