TAG: GS 2: POLITY
THE CONTEXT: The Population Foundation of India (PFI) has raised concerns about the misrepresentation of data from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister’s (EAC-PM) working paper on the share of religious minorities in various countries, including India.
EXPLANATION:
- The PFI highlighted that media outlets were distorting the findings to create alarm regarding the growth of the Muslim population, deeming such interpretations inaccurate, misleading, and baseless.
Contentions and Findings of the Working Paper
- The working paper, titled “Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015),” examines the demographic shifts in religious communities across 167 countries, including India.
- It notably reveals that while the Muslim population in India increased by 43.15% from 1950 to 2015, the Hindu population decreased by 7.82% during the same period.
- This data is presented in contrast to the findings of the last Census in 2011, which enumerated 79.8% Hindus and 14.2% Muslims in the country.
- The working paper employs a unique methodology to present the change in the share of religious groups’ populations over time.
- It calculates the difference in population shares between 1950 and 2015 as a percentage of the respective religious groups’ populations in 1950.
- This approach results in percentages indicating increases or decreases in population shares relative to the base year of 1950.
Selective Reporting and Political Discourse
- The release of the working paper coincided with political debates, with BJP leaders focusing on the rise in the Muslim population as an issue of concern.
- Opposition leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) questioned the timing and motive behind the paper’s release amid ongoing elections and the indefinite delay of the 2021 Census by the government.
Response from the Population Foundation of India
- The PFI countered the misrepresentation of data, emphasizing that fertility decline is influenced by developmental factors rather than religious affiliation.
- They pointed out that Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh and Indonesia have achieved lower birth rates through improved education, employment opportunities, and access to contraceptive choices.
Call for Responsible Reporting
- The PFI advocates for responsible reporting of demographic data, emphasizing the importance of presenting information accurately and contextually.
- They stress the role of education, income, and socioeconomic development in shaping demographic trends and advocate for inclusive policies that promote gender equity and harmonious societal development.
Population Foundation of India (PFI):
- It was founded in 1970 by the late JRD Tata.
- Population Foundation of India is a leading NGO in the fields of population dynamics, gender equity, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
- It addresses population issues within the context of empowering women, men, and young people, enabling them to make informed decisions about their fertility, health, and well-being.
- The organization’s approaches include strategic engagement with policymakers, media, and other key stakeholders; knowledge generation and dissemination; leveraging technology; scaling up pilot projects; and social and behavior change communication.
- Population Foundation of India also collaborates closely with and provides technical support to both national and state governments, as well as other NGOs.
Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM):
- It is an independent body constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India, specifically to the Prime Minister.
- It was set up for the first time in September 2017 with a term of two years.
- EAC-PM is headed by a chairperson and consists of eminent economists as members.
- It is supported in its functions by a team of officials and administrators.
- There is no fixed definition of the exact number of members and staff of the EAC-PM.
- It is common for the Council to be reconstituted time and again with different organizational structures headed by various economists who are recognized international eminence.
- For administrative, logistic, planning, and budgeting purposes, the NITI Aayog serves as the nodal agency for the EAC-PM.
