Thomas Robert Malthus, a British economist wrote in 1806 in his book “An Essay on the Principle of Population Growth” that population growth is potentially exponential while the growth of food supply and other resources linear. In other words according to him, population increased by geometric progression i.e. 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 32 whereas food supply and other resources increased by arithmetic progression i.e. 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10. There will be wide gap between the population and the available food supply and other resources. Hence, the growing population cannot be sustained. He prophesied that nature will put some positive checks to arrest this growth of population in the form of natural calamities like famines, earth quakes, floods, epidemics etc.
Looking at the history of past several decades, millions died in famines, floods, earthquakes and epidemics. Naturally, first thing that crosses our antenna : has Malthus come true ? I don’t think so. So far, world over from about 300 million cases of Covid 19 and its variants only about 5 million died, rest were cured.
Malthus alerted the state to be more proactive. Modern state with its state of the art reach has been taking action on all fronts.
It has gone beyond controlling population growth. Scientific family planning has been quite effective. If one looks back, now there are hardly any couples having over three children, now two. A person with more than two children faces ‘No Entry’ in legislatures. People are educated and are getting convinced that for a better quality of life small family is more desirable.
Latest systems of irrigation, fertilisers, improved seeds and mechanisation of agriculture has tremendously increased food production. Modern technology has ushered in second industrial revolution. Availability of other goods and services has expanded phenomenally.
More allocation of resources for intensive health care at short notice and general updating of public health will become a reality in times to come, thanks to the rude shock given by corona disaster.
But we must realise that public cannot be passive onlooker and expect that government will do everything that needs to be done. It has to play a more active role by being involved in supporting and following government policies, action and advice from time to time to fight disasters.
We the People 