<h5 id="distribution-of-population">Distribution of Population</h5> <ul> <li>The population distribution in India is highly uneven, with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal being the most populous states.</li> <li>Approximately 76% of the country’s population resides in U.P., Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Gujarat.</li> <li>Physical factors such as climate, terrain, and water availability significantly influence population distribution, with North Indian Plains, deltas, and Coastal Plains having higher population proportions.</li> <li>Socio-economic and historical factors, including agricultural development, human settlement patterns, transport networks, industrialization, and urbanization, also play crucial roles in population distribution.</li> <li>Regions with early human settlement, developed transport networks, and industrial urbanization (e.g., Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Jaipur) have high population concentrations.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="density-of-population">Density of Population</h5> <ul> <li>The density of population is the number of persons per unit area, and in India (2011), it was 382 persons per sq km.</li> <li>There has been a significant increase of over 200 persons per sq km in the last 50 years, with the density rising from 117 persons/ sq km in 1951 to 382 persons/sq km in 2</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="growth-of-population">Growth of Population</h5> <ul> <li>The period from 1901-1921 is referred to as a stagnant or stationary phase of India’s population growth, with a low growth rate and even a negative growth rate during 1911-1921.</li> <li>The decades 1921-1951 are referred to as the period of steady population growth, with an overall improvement in health and sanitation, and a high crude birth rate leading to higher growth rate than the previous phase.</li> <li>The decades 1951-1981 are referred to as the period of population explosion in India, caused by a rapid fall in the mortality rate but a high fertility rate. The average annual growth rate was as high as 2.2 per cent.</li> <li>The post 1981 period has seen a gradual slowing down of the country’s population growth rate, due to a downward trend in the crude birth rate, which was affected by an increase in the mean age at marriage and improved quality of life, particularly education of females in the country.</li> <li>The growth rate of population is still high in the country, and it has been projected by World Development Report that the population of India will touch 1,350 million by 2025.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="regional-variation-in-population-growth">Regional Variation in Population Growth</h5> <ul> <li> <p>The growth rate of population in Indian States and Union Territories during 1991-2001 showed a clear pattern: southern states like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, and Goa had a low rate of growth (not exceeding 20% over the decade), while a continuous belt of states in the north-west, north, and north central parts of the country had a higher growth rate (20-25%).</p> </li> <li> <p>During 2001-2011, the growth rates of almost all States and Union Territories were lower than in the previous decade. The six most populous States, namely Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, all had a fall in their growth rates.</p> </li> <li> <p>An important aspect of population growth in India is the growth of its adolescents, who make up 20.9% (2011) of the population. The Government of India has undertaken policies to provide proper education to adolescents and address challenges such as lower age at marriage, illiteracy, school dropouts, and high rates of HIV and AIDS infections.</p> </li> <li> <p>The National Youth Policy (NYP-2014) was launched in February 2014 to empower the youth of India and enable the country to find its rightful place in the community of nations. The NYP-2014 defines ‘youth’ as persons in the age group of 15-29 years.</p> </li> <li> <p>The National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was formulated in 2015 to provide an umbrella framework for skilling activities and align them to common standards, link skilling with demand centres, and address social problems related to the growth of population.</p> </li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="population-composition">Population Composition</h5> <ul> <li>Population composition is a significant field in population geography, covering various aspects such as age, sex, residence, ethnicity, language, religion, marital status, literacy, education, and occupation.</li> <li>The composition of India’s population in terms of rural-urban characteristics, language, religion, and occupational patterns will be discussed.</li> <li>Rural-urban characteristics refer to the division of the population based on whether they reside in rural or urban areas.</li> <li>Language and religion are crucial elements in understanding the diversity of the Indian population.</li> <li>Occupational patterns provide insights into the economic activities and livelihoods of the Indian population.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="rural---urban-composition">Rural - Urban Composition</h5> <ul> <li>The composition of population by their place of residence is an important social and economic indicator.</li> <li>India has a total of 640,867 villages, out of which 93.2% are inhabited (2011). The distribution of rural population is not uniform throughout the country.</li> <li>The proportion of urban population in India is quite low (31.16% in 2011) but is growing at a faster rate due to enhanced economic development and improved health conditions.</li> <li>The size of villages varies significantly, from less than 200 persons in some areas to as high as 17,000 persons in others.</li> <li>The distribution of urban population also varies widely throughout the country, with higher concentrations in areas along main road links, railroads, and industrial areas. The degree of urbanization remains low in agriculturally stagnant parts and remote, hilly, tribal areas.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="linguistic-composition">Linguistic Composition</h5> <ul> <li>India has a rich linguistic diversity with around 22 scheduled languages and several non-scheduled languages.</li> <li>The largest language group is Hindi speakers, while Sanskrit, Bodo, and Manipuri speakers form the smallest groups.</li> <li>The linguistic regions in India do not have clear boundaries, but instead, they gradually merge and overlap in their frontier zones.</li> <li>The number of languages and dialects in India was documented to be 179 and 544, respectively, by Grierson in the Linguistic Survey of India (1903-1928).</li> <li>The modern Indian currency note of Rs 10 features several languages.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="linguistic-classification">Linguistic Classification</h5> <ul> <li>The speakers of major Indian languages can be categorized into four language families.</li> <li>These language families have sub-families and branches or groups.</li> <li>The classification of these languages is presented in Table 1.2.</li> <li>This classification provides a better understanding of the linguistic diversity in India.</li> <li>The linguistic classification is based on language families, sub-families, and branches or groups.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="religious-composition">Religious Composition</h5> <ul> <li>The population of India, according to the 2011 Census, is categorized into Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Other Religions and Persuasions (ORP), and Religion Not Stated.</li> <li>Muslims, the largest religious minority, are concentrated in specific regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Lakshadweep, forming majorities in the Kashmir valley and Lakshadweep.</li> <li>Religions are expressed on the landscape through sacred structures, cemeteries, and assemblages of plants and animals. These vary in size, form, space use, and density, and include temples, masjids, gurudwaras, monasteries, and churches.</li> <li>Christian population is mostly distributed in rural areas, particularly along the Western coast around Goa, Kerala, and in hill states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Chotanagpur area, and Hills of Manipur.</li> <li>Sikhs are concentrated in a relatively small area of the country, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. Jains and Buddhists, the smallest religious groups, have their concentration only in selected areas of the country.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="composition-of-working-population">Composition of Working Population</h5> <ul> <li>The population of India is divided into three economic groups: main workers, marginal workers, and non-workers, with 39.8% being workers (2011).</li> <li>Main Worker: a person who works for at least 183 days in a year. Marginal Worker: a person who works for less than 183 days in a year.</li> <li>Work participation rate shows moderate variation among states and Union Territories, with lower rates in more economically developed areas.</li> <li>Occupational composition: 54.6% of total working population are cultivators and agricultural laborers, while 41.6% are other workers including non-household industries, trade, commerce, and services.</li> <li>Male workers outnumber female workers in all three sectors: primary, secondary, and tertiary.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="promoting-gender-sensitivity-through-beti-bachao-beti-padhao-social">Promoting Gender Sensitivity through ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ Social</h5> <ul> <li>The text provides information on work participation rates in different sectors in India.</li> <li>Rural states like Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have a high percentage of cultivators.</li> <li>Urbanized states like Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh have a higher proportion of agricultural laborers.</li> <li>Highly urbanized areas like Delhi, Chandigarh, and Puducherry have a large proportion of workers engaged in other services.</li> <li>The text also mentions a wide spatial variation in work participation rates in different sectors in the country.</li> <li>No equations or formulae are provided in the text.</li> </ul> <p>======</p>