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UPDATE

REPORT LAW & JUSTICE
Fertility rate below replacement level Playing of national

for all but Hindus and Muslims anthem in cinema

halls not mand-
As per the latest religion-wise data scheduled castes and 2.2 for other
from the National Family Health Survey backward classes. The upper atory: Supreme
(NFHS) of 2015-16, average number of castes had the lowest fertility rate
children born to a woman over her of 1.9. Court
lifetime, or total fertility rate (TFR), has  The younger the women, the lower
dropped below replacement for all the mean number of children born The Supreme Court, on 9 January
religious communities barring Hindus to them, evidence of the progress 2018, revoked its interim order on
and Muslims. over the last two decades in mandatory playing of national
Important findings bringing down the total fertility anthem before movie screenings
 The fertility rate of Hindu rate. in cinema halls after multiple instances
households fell from 2.8 in the last  The median age at first birth of vigilante patriotism. Centre had filed
survey in 2004-05 to 2.1, the level among women aged 25-49 years an affidavit informing the top court
at which a population is said to be was lowest for Muslim and Hindu that it was in favour of modification
able to replace itself from women, 21.3 years and 21.6 years of the November 2016 order, a
generation to generation without respectively. It was highest among complete turnabout from its previous
migration. Sikhs at 23.8 years. stand on the issue.
 The fertility rate of Muslim  Among the different wealth Background
households fell from 3.4 to 2.6. quintiles, the median age at first The apex court had on November 30,
 The community with the lowest birth was lowest among the 2016 directed that all cinema halls must
fertility rate, 1.2, was the one with poorest women at 20.3, steadily play national anthem before screening
the highest level of education, the rising with rising affluence to of films saying that “it would instill
Jains. This was followed by Sikhs touch 24.4 years among women in the feeling within one, a sense
(1.6), Buddhists or Neo Buddhists the richest one-fifth of the committed patriotism and nationalism”.
(1.7) and Christians (2). India’s population. Justice DY Chandrachud, a
overall TFR was 2.2.  The survey showed that almost member of the bench along with CJI
 When looking at the fertility rate 30% women with one child had got Dipak Misra and Justice A M
of the different wealth quintiles, sterilised, suggesting that they Khnawilkar, had questioned the logic
the section with the lowest income had decided they did not want any behind the order, saying there is no
had the highest number of children more. Almost 84% of women with need for an Indian to “wear his
at 3.2 and the richest had the least, two children had got sterilised. patriotism on his sleeve”. In stark
1.5. This was the case for 77% of the opposition to the CJI’s November 2016
 Scheduled tribes, the least poorest women who had two order, he had further observed that it
developed among social children and almost 89% of women cannot be assumed that if a person does
categories, had the highest fertility in the highest wealth quintile with not stand up for the national anthem, he
rate of 2.5, followed by 2.3 for two kids. is “less patriotic”.
March 2018 Competition Wizard 29