IAS Prelims (GS) Preparation 2018
Day # 26 (April 18, 2017)
Topics of the day: Geography 9th NCERT chapter 6 key points
Chapter – 6
A census is an official enumeration of population done periodically. In India the first census was held in the year 1872. The first complete census, however was taken in the year 1881. Since then censuses have been held regularly every tenth
year.
Population density is calculated as the number of persons per unit area.
Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a country/territory during a specific period of time, say during the last ten years. Such a change can be expressed in two ways: in terms of absolute numbers and
terms of percentage change per year.
The absolute numbers added each year or decade is the magnitude of increase. It is obtained by simply subtracting the earlier population (e.g. that of 1991) from the later population (e.g. that of 2001). It is referred to as the absolute increase.
The rate or the pace of population increase is the other important aspect. It is studied in per cent per annum, e.g. a rate of increase of 2 per cent per annum means that in a given year, there was an increase of two persons for every 100 persons in the base population. This is referred to as the annual growth rate.
There are three main processes of change of population : birth rates, death rates and migration.
Birth rate is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. It is a major component of growth because in India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates.
Death rate is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. The main cause of the rate of growth of the Indian population has been the rapid decline in death rates.
Migration is the movement of people across regions and territories. Migration can be internal (within the country) or international (between the countries).
The age composition of a population refers to the number of people in different age groups in a country. It is one of the most basic characteristics of a population.
Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in the population. This information is an important social indicator to measure the extent of equality between males and females in a society at a given time.
According to the Census of 2001, a person aged 7 years. and above who can read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate
The distribution of the population according to different types of occupation is referred to as the occupational structure.
The Government of India initiated the comprehensive Family Planning Programme in 1952.
The National Population Policy 2000 provides a policy framework for imparting free and compulsory school education up to 14 years of age, reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births, achieving universal immunisation
of children against all vaccine preventable diseases, promoting delayed marriage for girls, and making family welfare a people-centered programme.
The most significant feature of the Indian population is the size of its adolescent population. It constitutes one-fifth of the total population of India. Adolescents are generally grouped in the age-group of 10 to 19 years.
NPP 2000 identified adolescents as one of the major sections of the population that need greater attention.