Army releases names of soldiers killed in Poonch terror attack

 

The incident took spot after the automobile they were journeying in was shot upon by terrorists in Jammu  to the death of 5 soldiers.

The Indian Army has cast the names of five soldiers slaughtered in a terrorist attack on a truck in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on Thursday. The dead soldiers are havildar Mandeep Singh, lance naik Debashish Baswal, lance naik Kulwant Singh, sepoy Harkrishan Singh and sepoy Sewak Singh, the Army's 16 Corps based in Nagrota said.

"The Whitenight corps stand in solidarity with the bereaved families," it said on Twitter.

The victims were connected with the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit and were deployed for counterterrorist processes in the area.

The incident took place after the automobile they were touring in was shot upon by terrorists in the Rajouri sector in Jammu leading to the death of five soldiers, and wounding another. Operations were founded to trace the perpetrators, but so far there was no translucency yet on the attackers.

The unknown attackers took edge of heavy rains and low visibility in the area, the Army had said in a an announcement, adding that the army truck caught fire due to a likely grenade attack.

Tributes sprayed in from the political fraternity, with many expressing scare over the incident. National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Terrible news of a terror attack in Poonch that claimed the lives of 5 army jawans in the line of duty. I unequivocally condemn this heinous attack & send my condolences to the loved ones of those killed today. May the souls of the departed rest in peace."

Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal expressed shock over the death of the soldiers and called for the strongest punishment for those "behind this cowardly attack."

The injured soldier is receiving treatment at the Army Hospital in Rajouri.

India's population growth slows down, despite surpassing China

Although India has now become the world’s most crowded nation after surpassing China, data shows a softened velocity of growth and plunging fertility rates.

According to the State of World Population report recently publicized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India’s estimated total folk has surpassed 1.429 billion, around 2.9 million more than China’s population of 1.426 billion.

But does this mean that there are too multiple people being bred in India? Data says that’s not the case. In fact, India’s folk growth speeds have been plunging for many years.

While India’s fertility rate were located at 5.73 in 1950, the earliest year for which the data is obtainable with the UN, and 3.30 during the start of this millennium, it has come down to 2 in 2023. This is lower than 2.1, which is considered to be the replacement fertility level.

Fertility rate is calculated as the estimated number of kids per woman in the residents. Replacement fertility level is the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one age to the next.

This deterioration in fertility paces has been attended in numerous governments across the world. “Changes in fertility rates will do little to change our population’s current trajectory of growth (for the next 25 years, two-thirds of all population growth will be driven by past growth),” said the UNFPA in a supplementary article released along with its report.

The growth in total population despite a decreasing fertility speed also indicates to the improved paces of babies persisting and making it to adulthood. Life expectancy at birth in India has gone up from just 41.72 in 1950 to 72.03 in 2023.

In fact, according to the UNFPA report, the decline in the fertility rate in itself could be a result of greater freedoms enjoyed by people, especially women, today. “It is a sign that individuals are increasingly able to exercise control over their own reproductive lives. Falling fertility rates need not result in population reduction overall. Many countries have experienced falling population rates since the 1970s—but have still grown due to migration. And all populations are aging—the result of welcome increases in longevity,” the report said.

Although reduced fertility rates and increased life expectancy have pushed up India’s median age from 20.02 in 1950 to 28.25 in 2023, it is still very young comparatively. In fact, around one in five people under 25 globally live in India. In comparison, the median age of China in 2023 stands at 38.98, while for the US it is 38.10. Globally, the figure is at 30.49.

According to the UN, India’s population is estimated to peak at 1.7 billion in 2065, after which it will see a gradual decline.