India’s fertility decline is a sign of progress. Managing its consequences wisely will be the real test of governance

It is irony at its finest. India has long been obsessed with its population — too many people chasing too few resources. Decades of family planning campaigns, incentives and occasional coercion were aimed at one goal: fewer births.

As the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) drops below sustainable levels, the real concern is no longer population explosion, but the consequences of falling fertility. The data now confirm that we have largely succeeded. But the big question that stares us in the face is: what happens next?

The latest estimates reveal that India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has slipped well below comfortable levels. Urban India now........

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