ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the debate on the interrelationship between population and development in the context of India. The one image of India that dwarfs all others is that of a seething mass of humanity living in abject poverty. Robert Cassen's statistical simulation exercises, utilizing data for India, show that a child could be a good investment only on the basis of certain implausible assumptions regarding the costs and benefits of rearing a child. In most Indian families, once the daughter is married, her economic contribution accrues to her husband's family. Incidentally, this may be an explanation for the widely noted preference for sons on the part of Indian parents. There is an extensive and controversial literature on poverty in India, including studies on personal income distribution. In low-income countries, such as India, not only is a high proportion of income spent on food, but a substantial proportion of any increase in that income is also spent on food.
