Shivraj Singh Chauhan is muddle-headed and dictatorial in his thinking. The government has no role or business in family planning (Planning, Execution, Mar 12). However, population explosion is a real problem. So, how to tackle it? Going by logic, it's seen that economic freedom sorts out the population problem. In essence, population growth is inversely proportional to the level of freedom in a society; especially economic freedom. It’s rare to find an economically well-off person having more than two-three kids. So Chauhan’s argument doesn’t hold; he should concentrate on economic growth and leave the population issue to individual choice.

A.K. Sharma, Allahabad

Finally, here is one leader who is speaking the truth. Without population control, India can’t progress.

Raghu Desidi, Hyderabad

We are a funny nation. On the one hand, we create a hullabaloo over population explosion, on the other, we redraw constituencies based on population. So, those doing good in population control stand to lose eventually.

Santosh Gairola, Hsinchu, Taiwan

It is hardly surprising to see a Left-leaning publication like Outlook getting its knickers in a twist over the MP government's family planning drive. The handful of instances of abuse that have been cited are exactly that, a handful. The rational among us would term them as aberrations, as the MP government does, but Outlook would have its readers believe that people are being sterilised en masse at gunpoint. Why don't you do a cover story on the millions born in India due to lack of family planning measures, and who are forced to beg and rummage in scrap because their parents and the nation cannot provide them food, shelter or an education?

Dr Vikram Singh Chauhan, Jabalpur

Apropos Planning, Execution (Mar 12), yes, we should try to eradicate aberrations in the execution of family planning programmes, but media zealots should try not to derail them.

The narrated incidents sound too bad to be true. Looks more like another of those English media propaganda articles floated by the lousy bunch of activists.

 Mr Indian,

I ahve the same question as you."Why my money (as a tax payer) shouldbe spend to subsidize people who are just adding on kids w/o any means to raise them.."

I am from a middle class family and am fed up of bashing the rich write ups blamimng them for all the ills of poor. I consider its time the poor are questioned.

Ms Raman

Just one question to you..Why my money (as a tax payer) shouldbe spend to subsidize people who are just adding on kids w/o any means to raise them..As a process Govt across India should withdraw benifits in case people dont go in for family planning & restrict to juts 2 kids...Its simple you cannot go on providing freebies to people who are just producing kids inspite of not being capable of giving kids a decent life. Authors like Ms Raman have hidden agenda of discrediting a worthy initiative taken by MP Govt ....

If the family planning is followed by all communities that will be the fair thing as far as maintaining demographic balance is concerned.Both  Catholics and Muslims do not practice family planning as it is against their religious tenets.One should not forget the strong opposition to family planning by Mother Teresa herself.The last decadal population growth for Hindus was around 125%,while that for the Muslims and Christians was nearly 135%.

Rajneesh Batra.. agree with you.. we prostrate ourselves to these bladders of corruption.. and mine the poor folks' vein endlessly..

It is a very difficult situation to handle. On the one hand we see the misery of below poverty line (BPL) families whether from tribal communities or other communities. On the other hand, we feel that these families should not be forced to use methods to control size of their families. Several questions which need to be debated and which come to my mind are: (1) Does the illiteracy and poverty lead to uncontrolled breeding and creation of larger, and unmanageable families? (2) Is the State responsible to feed such families? (3) If the answer to the second question is yes, whether the State has got a right to decide the size of the family and what methods should be adopted to restrict the family size? (4) What is the ideal size of a family in rural areas?

VERY strange indeed, that Outlook publishes the pictures of young sterilised males, ALONGWITH ( and presumably equally victims ), much older females who were sterilised after many children.

Why this anti-male-veri, Outlook?

The message in short - MP is a evil bad state since 2003 November. It was a very good state between 1993 and 2003. 

 “It is strange that we succeed finding even the smallest ‘Veins’ of a ‘Poor’ to cut it in order to stop him from spreading ‘Misery’ in the society – but we never find the ‘Bladders of Corruption’ hidden in every Politico’s Belly and remove it to restore essential resources in the country.”

 “It is strange that we succeed finding even the smallest ‘Veins’ of a ‘Poor’ to cut it in order to stop him from spreading ‘Misery’ in the society – but we never find the ‘Bladders of Corruption’ hidden in every Politico’s Belly and remove it to restore essential resources in the country.”

The message in short - MP is a evil bad state since 2003 November. It was a very good state between 1993 and 2003. 

VERY strange indeed, that Outlook publishes the pictures of young sterilised males, ALONGWITH ( and presumably equally victims ), much older females who were sterilised after many children.

Why this anti-male-veri, Outlook?

It is a very difficult situation to handle. On the one hand we see the misery of below poverty line (BPL) families whether from tribal communities or other communities. On the other hand, we feel that these families should not be forced to use methods to control size of their families. Several questions which need to be debated and which come to my mind are: (1) Does the illiteracy and poverty lead to uncontrolled breeding and creation of larger, and unmanageable families? (2) Is the State responsible to feed such families? (3) If the answer to the second question is yes, whether the State has got a right to decide the size of the family and what methods should be adopted to restrict the family size? (4) What is the ideal size of a family in rural areas?

Rajneesh Batra.. agree with you.. we prostrate ourselves to these bladders of corruption.. and mine the poor folks' vein endlessly..

If the family planning is followed by all communities that will be the fair thing as far as maintaining demographic balance is concerned.Both  Catholics and Muslims do not practice family planning as it is against their religious tenets.One should not forget the strong opposition to family planning by Mother Teresa herself.The last decadal population growth for Hindus was around 125%,while that for the Muslims and Christians was nearly 135%.

Ms Raman

Just one question to you..Why my money (as a tax payer) shouldbe spend to subsidize people who are just adding on kids w/o any means to raise them..As a process Govt across India should withdraw benifits in case people dont go in for family planning & restrict to juts 2 kids...Its simple you cannot go on providing freebies to people who are just producing kids inspite of not being capable of giving kids a decent life. Authors like Ms Raman have hidden agenda of discrediting a worthy initiative taken by MP Govt ....

 Mr Indian,

I ahve the same question as you."Why my money (as a tax payer) shouldbe spend to subsidize people who are just adding on kids w/o any means to raise them.."

I am from a middle class family and am fed up of bashing the rich write ups blamimng them for all the ills of poor. I consider its time the poor are questioned.

The narrated incidents sound too bad to be true. Looks more like another of those English media propaganda articles floated by the lousy bunch of activists.