Another 100 crores was added in next 123 years, in 1927 - then it took only 33 years to reach 300 crores in 1960, 13 years each to reach 400 and 500 crores in the years 1974 and 1987 respectively and ultimately on 12th October 1999 at 600 crpres. Undoubtedly the awareness programmes and econmic compulsions helped reducing the growth rate to the present trend of 1.3%.According to the estimate of United Nations Population Division world population will touch 700 crores in 2013, 800 in 2028, 900 in 2054 and 1000 crores in the year 2183.

Population explosion has emerged as a greatest social problem. Like all other factors of human civilisation population growth rate is not equal all over the world. It is maximum in least developed nations, moderate in developing nations and least (even negative) in developed nations. 80% of world population live in developing and under developed countries. Human Development Report of 1999 has caculated, for 1997-2015, a growth rate of 0.4% for developed countries, 1.1% for developing countries and 2.3% for under developed countries resulting in an overall world rate of 1.1%. Increamental birth rate is not the only significant factor for population growth, rather it has reduced to a great extend but it could not neutralise the reduced death rate, which, of course, is a positive contribution of development of science and technology in general and medical science in particular. 'Fertility Rate' is defined as the number of child birth per woman, which has decreased from a figure of 4.9 to 2.7 at present. Here also the figure is not equal for all the nations - 1.7 for developed ones and 2.6 and 5.2 respectively for the developing and least developed ones. Take example of a few countries, 1.2 in Italy, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria; 1.3 in Germany, Greece, Russia, Honk kong; 6.9 in Nigeria, 7.6 in Yemen, 6.8 in Bangladesh, Angola, 6.7 in Sudan. Even there are countries who has been able to achieve 'zero population growth' - Japan, Belgium, Germany and surprisingly the population growth rate is negative in Italy, Spain, Greece, Potugal, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Ukrain etc.

.....contd in next issue.