You must understand that human resources are important from the viewpoint of economic development. In the initial position, people are utilised as an instrument of production and are accessible as factors of production to work jointly with other factors. Secondly, they are the consumers and the goal of economic development is to expand their economic well-being.
In other words, you can say, people are the ways to acquire economic development and also the end in them. The nature as well as size of population, hence, is an important factor deciding economic development of a country.
Adverse Effect of Population on Economic Development
Labour, without doubt has a positive contribution in the process of production as well as development of an economy. However, a quickly rising population serves as a hindrance on smooth economic progress.
(a) Due to quick growth of population, the per capital income in India has stayed either stagnant or depicted a very marginal increase in spite of a considerable rise in national income during the plan periods.
(b) The growth of population has developed a severe shortage of food grains for which the country was forced to import food grains externally.
(c) Rising population with growing children raises the number of unproductive population in the country.
(d) Increasing population worsens the unemployment problem which is discovered in an under-developed country such as India.
(e) The volume of investment declines as an increasing population raises the volume of consumption in our country.
(f) A rising population decreases the quality of life of the masses and makes them less effective.
(g) Rising population in rural areas results in subdivision as well as fragmentation of land and decreases productivity in the agricultural sector.