Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has, for the second time, voiced his concern over India&rsquo;s declining birth rate. On Thursday, he reiterated his call for the younger generation to marry early and embrace the slogan of &ldquo;Hum Do, Hamare Teen&rdquo;&mdash;a step away from the earlier two-child norm. He argues that families must expand to secure India&rsquo;s demographic strength for the future.
Yet, the contradiction in his statements cannot be ignored. While encouraging larger families, Bhagwat himself has acknowledged that essential services like education and healthcare are becoming unaffordable. Parents today are compelled to take loans to educate their children; medical treatment pushes households into debt. Inflation only deepens this burden. In such circumstances, how can ordinary families, living on limited incomes, realistically raise three children?
If Bhagwat genuinely wishes to see his advice implemented, the onus lies on the BJP governments ruling in 15 states, and NDA allies in another six, to provide robust public healthcare and education systems. Merely urging couples to have more children, without strengthening state-backed welfare, is a hollow directive. Instead of leaving citizens at the mercy of exploitative private institutions, the government must guarantee affordable and quality public services.
Examples from elsewhere are telling. The Parsi community, facing a rapid population decline, introduced a welfare scheme in 2013 offering ₹3,000 per month for a second child and ₹5,000 per month for a third child, up to the age of 18. Similarly, in China, where birth rates have also fallen, the state provides an annual allowance of ₹44,000 per child until the age of three. These are concrete incentives that ease the economic burden of parenting.
Every couple desires children, but the real deterrent lies in the cost of upbringing, education, and healthcare. Already, 10 per cent of Indian households are single-child families by choice, not compulsion. Advising citizens to have three children, while ignoring the financial strain, only widens the gap between rhetoric and reality.
If Bhagwatji truly wishes to inspire confidence in the young generation, he must go beyond words. He should direct BJP-led states to establish comprehensive social security measures, subsidise education and healthcare, and protect citizens from private-sector exploitation. Only then will calls for larger families carry credibility.
Until then, his statements will remain contradictory&mdash;well-intentioned perhaps, but disconnected from the realities of today&rsquo;s India.
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Mohan Bhagwat urges larger families, but rising costs make his advice contradictory

Bhagwatji, where is the consistency in your call?

Mohan Bhagwat urges larger families, but rising costs make his advice contradictory

August 29, 2025 | 16:13 IST