It is easy.

In today's HT a minister, Sachin Pilot writes about eradicating malnutrition in India. It is a usual mixture of pity for the poor, a pious resolve to reach and educate the poor and a plea for more aid channeled through official channels and NGOs. As usual Mr Pilot fails to answer the most important question, which is how many people he thinks the country can feed and for how long. Does India have the land for growing food, the required infrastructure or the money to feed an infinite number of people infinitely? Can any country? We are assaulted daily in the media by shrill do-gooders who insist that the poor must be given food, places to live, healthcare, education and every comfort society can afford. After all the poor are also human and deserve to be treated with dignity. No argument there but surely human beings are capable of analytical thinking, of distinguishing right from wrong and at least some duty and loyalty towards their country. We should treat the poor with respect and sympathy but do they not have any responsibility towards improving their own situation? At the very least they should not have any children. It is totally unacceptable to produce half a dozen children and then expect the government and civil society to care for them. The poor breed because they want to send their children out to work which allows the parents to take it easy. Destruction of forests, poaching of endangered animals, forcing children into work even crime is justified in the name of poverty. Survival means no rules apply. Mr Pilot may be sincere in his sympathy for the poor but to talk about reducing malnutrition without reducing population is sheer humbug. If we want to be cynical we can say that as an Indian politician it is in his interest to advocate social schemes because those can be easily looted by politicians. If he really wants to make a difference educate and help the poor not to breed. That is where taxpayer money should be spent. If there are no poor there will be no poverty.