Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat voiced concerns on Sunday about the declining population growth rate in India.

Speaking at a private event in Nagpur, he remarked, “In 1998 or 2002, our population policy was drafted which said the population growth rate should not fall below 2.1.”

He went on to emphasize, “Even population science says population drop is detrimental to society. It should not come down below 2.1. It should be 3. Otherwise, society will not get destroyed by others, it will perish on its own.”

Bhagwat also discussed the importance of the family as a fundamental societal unit, stating, “We count the family as a mordant unit that makes up a society. The culture and values are inherited and passed from one generation to another, thus preserving the core systems and values which are timeless and relevant not just to Indians but also globally.”

Encouraging people to transcend caste and communal divides, Bhagwat highlighted that, in contrast to cultures that prioritize individualism, “Bharatiya sanskriti (culture) believes we are all interconnected.”

He added, “If anybody is hungry we come forward and feed them. Even if a beggar comes to our doorstep, we hand over money or food grains through the child in our family.

“In this manner, we pass on values from one generation to another. Sacrifice is our mainstay, not selfishness and self-centredness,” the RSS chief concluded.