INDIA’S BABY NARGIS ONE OF WORLD’S SEVEN BILLIONTH INHABITANT

INDIA’S BABY NARGIS ONE OF WORLD’S SEVEN BILLIONTH INHABITANT

 A new-born baby at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam on October 30, 2011. The UN Population Fund, in a recent report titled “India@7 billion”, described the country as a “population billionaire”. India (with about 1.21 billion people at present) is expected to overtake China (1.34 billion) by 2025 to become the world’s most populous country

 The world's population touched another milestone as India welcomed the birth of baby Nargis as the "symbolic" seven billionth baby. Weighing three kgs, the baby was born at a community centre in Mall at Danaur village on the outskirts of Lucknow at 7.20 AM, adding to India's population of 1.21 billion. "Nargis is the first child of 23-year-old Vinita and 25-year-old farmer Ajay and has been welcomed as the symbolic seven billionth baby," Bhagyashree Dengle, executive director of child rights group Plan India said.

Nargis shares the honours of being the world's symbolic seven billionth baby with Philippines' Danica May Camacho who was born just after midnight in a government hospital in Manila. The birth of Nargis has given a new resolve to her father Ajay, who now wants to work for creating awareness among the people about nurturing the girl child and wants his daughter to become a doctor. Nargis was selected to be the symbolic seven billionth baby to focus on the plight of the girl child in the country facing the problem of female foeticide, Dengle said. The birth of Nargis and six other girls born in the area today was celebrated at a function organised by Plan India. All the seven girls born in the area were given birth certificates and have also got seven celebratory sponsors like Mallika Sarabhai, Sunita Narain and Anushka Shankar who would be taking care of issues relating to their basic rights, education, health and participation for the next seven years as per the Plan India initiative.

Dengle said the UN had carried out a survey which found that the probability of the seven billionth child being born in Uttar Pradesh was high. Every minute, 51 babies are born in India, 11 of them in Uttar Pradesh. 

                                                                   Prof. John Kurakar