Who is India's 1 billionth baby?

Introduced to the world as the 1 billionth baby of 2000 in India and sitting on the agenda of the press, Astha Arora, the symbol of population growth, turned 22 years old. "I hope the 2 billionth baby won't be born," said Arora, who is now raising her voice to control population growth.

When she was born, the baby, who was on the agenda of the country and world press, was visited by the ministers in the hospital. The celebration was done. Micheal Vlassoff, the India representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said at that celebration that the birth of baby Astha Arora was very special. Other officials also underlined that it is a wake-up call to seek a way to control the country's rapidly growing population.

The BBC correspondent visited Arora, at her home in Najafgarh, where middle-class families live in New Delhi. Reporter Geeta Pandey's goal was to find out what baby '1 billion is up to today.

'PROMISES WERE NOT KEPT'

The story of the young woman who works as a nurse in a hospital points out that those who celebrated her birth and promised to cover her educational expenses forgot her and did not keep their promises: "I wanted to be a doctor. However, I gave up on this dream and took a nursing education."

Arora realized 'what a special kid' she was when she started school, showing Pandey the newspaper clippings her parents cut out and kept after she was born: "I think I heard the word billionth baby on UN Population Day first. When a TV crew came to school. I was five years old and I was on screen I really liked it."

Arora, whose father works as a salesperson in a store and who is struggling to meet the school fees of his two children, is transferred to a private school. Since the news made every year when the school started was also an advertisement for his school, he was paid low.

FROM PRIVATE SCHOOL TO GOVERNMENT

Arora, a student who had good classes, and participated in debates and dance shows, received the school's most elegant person award at the age of 16. However, although she is a successful student and the school's tuition is low, the financial situation of her family was not enough for her to graduate from this private school. They gave him to a public school. “I couldn't get used to the new school. I was very unhappy there and it was reflected in my notes. And, therefore, my dream of becoming a doctor was over.”

When she was born, Sumitra Mahacan, the minister responsible for women and child development, who visited the family in the hospital, and promised the baby free education, health care, train tickets for life, and a job in the government for her father. However, the words were forgotten, and the family could not reach him afterward.

Asta Arora, the UN Population Fund, set aside 200 thousand rupees for university education when she was 18 years old, and when she reached that age, it reached 700 thousand rupees with interest. This money was used for her nursing education.

POPULATION GROWTH SHOULD BE CALLED 'STOP'

Arora also thinks India's 'overcrowded population' is a problem, as some officials pointed out while celebrating her birth. She underlines that the rapid increase in the population of a country where economic conditions are not good should be called "Stop". She expresses these thoughts not only with her close circle but also in the forums she participates in on social media.

MEN'S URGES, AND MENTALITY MUST CHANGE

“It is the insistence of families to have sons that brought us here. One of the main reasons is to give birth to a male until he finds them, taking into account that they will keep their surnames. The government must first take steps to change this mentality,” Arora says, and draws attention to the importance of population planning programs.

Emphasizing that there is a great race in many fields from school to university and finding a job, Arora said, “I was the 1 billionth baby. The 2 billionth baby may soon be born. I hope we never get to that point.”

The population of India has reached 1 billion 410 million. It is expected to overtake China next year to become the world's most populous country, according to UN data.

'I gave birth to India's billionth baby'

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-32688856

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-63327635

https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/aastha-india-s-billionth-baby/story-cz65ZLjj1USTXMGlMN5E9L.html