By Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
www.asiantribune.net
It’s termed as the heart of India but what makes Uttar Pradesh or UP really unique is that the state has a population more than nearly 190 countries in the world.
Uttar Pradesh is just one of the states in India, not even the biggest in terms of area, but when it comes to population, it is home to more people than most of the countries, except four.
Current estimates suggest that the North Indian state has a population of around 246 million, though other estimates even suggest that UP has close to 260 million living in its geographical boundaries.
This is much more than the combined population of United Kingdom (UK), France and Germany.
No wonder, as a state it has tremendous influence in Indian politics as it accounts for highest number of electorate and also the maximum number of constituencies in the Parliament. But this huge population is also a big challenge.
As Uttar Pradesh has districts with population–between 5 million and 6 million [bigger than many countries of the world], that makes it tough for administration.
It’s a colossal task to run after affairs of a State that has so many citizens. Uttar Pradesh can easily make it to the list of top five countries of the world.
The countries with highest population in the world apart from India, include China, United States of America, Indonesia et al. No other country is as big, with the possible exception of Pakistan that also has a population similar to UP.
Uttar Pradesh remains this big in population, even after a state Uttarakhand, was carved out of it in 2000.
Still, it has nearly 250 million people as per latest estimates. On the other hand, there are certain states that have a population much less than a district of Uttar Pradesh.
This is a major discrepancy as a state has Assembly and legislators. The number of countries in the world is close to 200. United Nations recognizes 193 (195) countries though there are certain others too like Taiwan.
Many would be surprised to know that Goa, a state on the Western coast, is smaller than an average district of UP. On law-and-order, education, health, social sector, providing services to citizens and managing health sector, the bureaucratic exercise and management turn a big task, due to the tremendous size, in terms of populace as well as density in the region.
In recent past, there were voices in favour of the demand to divide UP into four or five separate states for the sake of governance.The regions include Western Uttar Pradesh that includes Rohilkhand, Awadh, Purwanchal or Eastern UP and Bundelkhand.
But as a state with highest number of seats in the Lok Sabha [Lower house of parliament], a decision in this regard is a political hot potato. UP’s 80 seats are crucial to form government.
It is a state that is known for cities like Lucknow and Agra. The Taj Mahal is a wonder of the world and a monument that draws tourists from all over the world.
In colonial era, it was known as United Provinces of Agra and Oudh [Awadh]. Over the years, the population of the state kept growing and though the fertility rates have gone down in most regions of the country, UP and Bihar still have comparatively higher TFR. Bihar, especially, has a higher population growth rate compared to other states.
The ten most populated countries of the world include India 1.45 billion, China 1.4 billion, US 340-350 million, Indonesia 285 million, Pakistan 240-250 million, Nigeria 237 million, Brazil 212 million, Bangladesh 175 million, Russia 13 million & Ethiopia 135 million.
[Shams Ur Rehman Alavi is a senior journalist with nearly 26 years experience in media. He has been associated with leading national and international media houses and specializes on crime, politics, justice, human rights and demography]
Email: editor@asiantribune.net
