India stood for the middle path (Berelson, 1975). The Indian slogan was: “development is best contraceptive”, by which the Indian representative Dr. Karan Singh actually meant that we should have development of the underdeveloped sections, and propagate contraceptive through both development and family planning (Singh, 1975). Since then, India has adopted a synthetic model that has gradually become the most popular policy model in the world.

In sum, Malthus warned that the world is suffering from large population and Marx warned that the problems of unemployment etc. cannot be solved within the capitalist framework. Subsequent writers on the subject emphasized population control not only for improvement in employment and income, but also for the sustainability of development and the very planet itself. The question is not of either or type. If the global zero population growth has to be achieved through low and not high birth and death rates (Espenshade, 1991), efforts are needed at all the levels:

• Limit the growth of population

• Move from economic prosperity to economic sustainability

• Promote the value of simplicity, equality, brotherhood and peace

• Replace machine by man wherever possible and progressively everywhere