May 12: On This Day in World History … briefly
In 2006, India contained the largest number of people living below the World Bank's international poverty line of US$1.25 per day.
2000: India’s population hits one billion
News that India’s one-billionth citizen had been born was officially announced on May 12, 2000. In a ceremony at the Safdarjung hospital, the baby girl Astha Arora was presented to the media.
India’s government used the occasion to highlight the problems of an expanding population. With ever-increasing poverty, diminishing natural resources, illiteracy and unemployment, the government encouraged smaller families.
The United Nations warned that India would face problems with food and water shortages in future if the population rise did not slow. One civil servant summed up the occasion by saying that while the event was a matter of joy for the family, it provided a lot of reflection for the government.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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