India's Hindu population declined by nearly 8% between 1950 and 2015 while Muslim's share grew a record 43% in the same period, according to a study by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

The Hindu population saw a decrease from 84% of the total in 1950 to 78% in 2015. In the same period, the share of minorities, including Muslims, Christian, Buddhist and Sikhs, went up. The number of Jains and Parsis in the population mix decreased.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-rights-for-muslims-in-live-in-relationships-if-they-have-a-spouse-court-719638">No rights for Muslims in live-in relationships if they have a spouse: court</a>

Between 1950 and 2015, the Muslim population in India surged by 43.15%, Christians saw a 5.38% increase, Sikhs a 6.58% rise, and Buddhists witnessed a slight increase.&nbsp;

However, the share of Jains and Parsis in the population mix declined and stood at 0.36 per cent and 0.004 per cent respectively in 2015.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/indias-hindu-population-shrank-by-78-muslims-grew-by-4315-between-1950-and-2015-eac-pm-study-719681/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Muslims' share in the population recorded an increase from 9.84% to 14.09% in the same period (of 65 years), according to the EAC-PM study.

India's decline in the Hindu population share is the second-steepest in the region, following only Myanmar's dramatic 10% drop. Even Nepal, another Hindu-majority country, witnessed a decrease of 3.6% in its Hindu population share.

The report, authored by economists Shamika Ravi, Abraham Jose, and Apurv Kumar Mishra, states, “India has witnessed the biggest decline in the majority population (7.82%) only next to Myanmar - which has witnessed a 10 percent decline in its majority population over 65 years.”

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/not-advisable-indias-top-nutrition-institute-flags-consumption-of-protein-supplements-719630">'Not advisable': India's top nutrition institute flags consumption of protein supplements</a>

"India has witnessed an increase in the shares of Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Sikh populations and a decline in the shares of Jain and Parsi populations,” the report said.

Released in May, the study counters common concerns. Examining data carefully, it suggests that minorities in India are not just protected but are thriving.

Blaming the Congress for the decline of Hindu's population share, BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya said, "This is what decades of Congress rule did to us. Left to them, there would be no country for Hindus," he wrote in social media post on X.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

India's Hindu population declined by nearly 8% between 1950 and 2015 while Muslim's share grew a record 43% in the same period, according to a study by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

India's Hindu population declined by nearly 8% between 1950 and 2015 while Muslim's share grew a record 43% in the same period, according to a study by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The Hindu population saw a decrease from 84% of the total in 1950 to 78% in 2015. In the same period, the share of minorities, including Muslims, Christian, Buddhist and Sikhs, went up. The number of Jains and Parsis in the population mix decreased. Also read: No rights for Muslims in live-in relationships if they have a spouse: court Between 1950 and 2015, the Muslim population in India surged by 43.15%, Christians saw a 5.38% increase, Sikhs a 6.58% rise, and Buddhists witnessed a slight increase. However, the share of Jains and Parsis in the population mix declined and stood at 0.36 per cent and 0.004 per cent respectively in 2015. × Muslims' share in the population recorded an increase from 9.84% to 14.09% in the same period (of 65 years), according to the EAC-PM study. India's decline in the Hindu population share is the second-steepest in the region, following only Myanmar's dramatic 10% drop. Even Nepal, another Hindu-majority country, witnessed a decrease of 3.6% in its Hindu population share. The report, authored by economists Shamika Ravi, Abraham Jose, and Apurv Kumar Mishra, states, “India has witnessed the biggest decline in the majority population (7.82%) only next to Myanmar - which has witnessed a 10 percent decline in its majority population over 65 years.” Also read: 'Not advisable': India's top nutrition institute flags consumption of protein supplements "India has witnessed an increase in the shares of Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Sikh populations and a decline in the shares of Jain and Parsi populations,” the report said. Released in May, the study counters common concerns. Examining data carefully, it suggests that minorities in India are not just protected but are thriving. Blaming the Congress for the decline of Hindu's population share, BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya said, "This is what decades of Congress rule did to us. Left to them, there would be no country for Hindus," he wrote in social media post on X. (With inputs from agencies)

India's Hindu population fell 8%, Muslim population rose 43% in 1950-2015: PM's economic council

Taliban have banned the use of contraceptives&nbsp;in Afghanistan, claiming that it is part of a western conspiracy to control the Muslim population.&nbsp;According to the Guardian newspaper, in two main cities—the capital Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif—the members of the militant organisation have issued a gag ordering pharmacies to dispose of all birth control medicines and devices.&nbsp;

Apart from that, there have been reports Taliban fighters have been going door-to-door and threatening midwives to desist from distributing child control medicines.

“They came to my store twice with guns and threatened me not to keep contraceptive pills for sale. They are regularly checking every pharmacy in Kabul and we have stopped selling the products,” said a store owner in the city.

Women-led Afghan outlet Rukhshana Media, quoting sources, claimed that Afghanistan has stopped importing contraceptives, and as result, they are being bought in secret from private sellers. In effect, their price has skyrocketed.&nbsp;

Though an official notification in this regard is yet to be issued by Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry, the Guardian quoting sources reported that they were informed by Taliban enforcers in Kabul that “contraceptive use and family planning is a western agenda”.

“Items such as birth control pills and Depo-Provera injections are not allowed to be kept in the pharmacy since the start of this month, and we are too afraid to sell the existing stock,” a pharmacist in Kabul was quoted as saying.

The ban on contraceptives is part of the latest attack on women’s rights by the Taliban who have been implementing anti-women policies since their ascension in August 2021.

Women have already been prevented from accessing higher education, forced to quit jobs and restricted to leave their homes. Restricting contraceptives will be a significant blow to a country with an already fragile healthcare system.&nbsp;One in every 14 Afghan women&nbsp;dies&nbsp;of causes related to pregnancy and it is one of the most&nbsp;dangerous countries in the world to give birth.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Taliban have banned the use of contraceptives in Afghanistan, claiming that it is part of a western conspiracy to control the Muslim population. According to the Guardian newspaper, in two main cities—the capital Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif—the members of the militant organisation have issued a gag ordering pharmacies to dispose of all birth control medicines and devices.

Taliban have banned the use of contraceptives in Afghanistan, claiming that it is part of a western conspiracy to control the Muslim population. According to the Guardian newspaper, in two main cities—the capital Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif—the members of the militant organisation have issued a gag ordering pharmacies to dispose of all birth control medicines and devices. Apart from that, there have been reports Taliban fighters have been going door-to-door and threatening midwives to desist from distributing child control medicines. “They came to my store twice with guns and threatened me not to keep contraceptive pills for sale. They are regularly checking every pharmacy in Kabul and we have stopped selling the products,” said a store owner in the city. Women-led Afghan outlet Rukhshana Media, quoting sources, claimed that Afghanistan has stopped importing contraceptives, and as result, they are being bought in secret from private sellers. In effect, their price has skyrocketed. Though an official notification in this regard is yet to be issued by Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry, the Guardian quoting sources reported that they were informed by Taliban enforcers in Kabul that “contraceptive use and family planning is a western agenda”. “Items such as birth control pills and Depo-Provera injections are not allowed to be kept in the pharmacy since the start of this month, and we are too afraid to sell the existing stock,” a pharmacist in Kabul was quoted as saying. The ban on contraceptives is part of the latest attack on women’s rights by the Taliban who have been implementing anti-women policies since their ascension in August 2021. Women have already been prevented from accessing higher education, forced to quit jobs and restricted to leave their homes. Restricting contraceptives will be a significant blow to a country with an already fragile healthcare system. One in every 14 Afghan women dies of causes related to pregnancy and it is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

‘Conspiracy to control Muslim population’: Taliban ban use of contraceptives, call it 'western agenda'

Bangladesh faced widespread international criticism over the conduct of recent elections, but the United States looks set for business as usual as it sees strong common interests with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

As the eighth most populous nation in the world, with a moderate Muslim population that largely welcomes cooperation with the West, Bangladesh has a warming relationship with the United States -- yet not one so close as to give Washington significant leverage.

Sheikh Hasina's Awami League won an incredible 288 seats in the 300-seat parliament in the December 30 election, with opposition leader Khaleda Zia -- her bitter nemesis for decades -- in jail on charges her opponents say are politically motivated while the press faces draconian new restrictions.

The US State Department voiced concern ahead of the election, accusing Bangladesh of foot-dragging on letting in electoral observers and urging greater efforts to ensure a free vote.

The United States followed up after the election with a letter by President Donald Trump that wished Sheikh Hasina success but asked her to "renew her commitment to protecting human rights, individual freedom of expression and democratic institutions," a US official said.

Sheikh Hasina is a sworn enemy of Islamists, mounting a crackdown on the Jamaat-e-Islami party that included hanging five of its leaders over charges related to Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

She has also earned widespread praise in Washington for taking in more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from neighbouring Myanmar in a brutal campaign the United States has called ethnic cleansing -- stopping the crisis from become more regional in dimension.

Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said that Bangladesh was effectively becoming a one-party authoritarian state -- but one whose orientation largely suits Washington.

"I think the bottom line is that the US sees Sheikh Hasina as a useful partner. She's very tough on terror and she's presided over a remarkable degree of economic growth," he said.

"I think, in that regard, the US sees her as a supporter and practitioner of stability in Bangladesh in spite of the tradeoff of having a very troubled domestic political situation in Bangladesh."

Seeking greater ties&nbsp;

Bangladesh's government has shown no sign it takes seriously the concerns about the election, also voiced by the European Union.

Sajeeb Wazed, Sheikh Hasina's US-based son who serves as her adviser on information and communications technology, said the pre-election US statement was "disappointing" and blamed it on what he called opposition supporters among local staff at the US embassy in Dhaka.

But he saluted the relationship with the United States and voiced hope for further ties, saying a top priority was to draw greater US investment in an economy that has been growing by more than six per cent annually.

"We have a huge consumer market. You have almost 80 million people in the middle class," he said.

He said that Bangladesh has been "phenomenally successful in combatting terrorism," calling it "one of the few Muslim countries that is considered relatively terrorism-free."

Wazed added that the government felt genuine empathy for fleeing Rohingyas in light of Bangladesh's plight at independence and noted that the refugees have not seen the type of backlash experienced by migrants to Europe.

Limited scope to criticize&nbsp;

The United States see a friendly rapport with Bangladesh as vital to Washington's goal of an open, US-friendly Indo-Pacific region. Unlike neighbors such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh has not drawn high-profile infrastructure deals with China.

Another country is even more critical to the US relationship with Bangladesh -- regional power and emerging US ally India, which has staunchly supported Sheikh Hasina, limiting the scope for Washington to take another approach even if it so chose.

The opposition, however, is hopeful that US criticism can make headway.

Humaiun Kobir, the international affairs secretary of Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party who met policymakers in Washington ahead of the vote, said the United States should make clear that relations will be limited "unless you show us you are democratizing."

He said that Sheikh Hasina had turned Bangladesh into a country like Cambodia or Venezuela, where the United States to varying degrees had criticized strongmen.

Kobir praised a US House of Representatives resolution that had urged free elections and noted the opposition's concerns.

"The United States is the largest bilateral investor and largest trading market," he said. "The US will need to show that it is not business as usual, or otherwise it sends a totally wrong signal."

Bangladesh faced widespread international criticism over the conduct of recent elections, but the United States looks set for business as usual as it sees strong common interests with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bangladesh faced widespread international criticism over the conduct of recent elections, but the United States looks set for business as usual as it sees strong common interests with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As the eighth most populous nation in the world, with a moderate Muslim population that largely welcomes cooperation with the West, Bangladesh has a warming relationship with the United States -- yet not one so close as to give Washington significant leverage. Sheikh Hasina's Awami League won an incredible 288 seats in the 300-seat parliament in the December 30 election, with opposition leader Khaleda Zia -- her bitter nemesis for decades -- in jail on charges her opponents say are politically motivated while the press faces draconian new restrictions. The US State Department voiced concern ahead of the election, accusing Bangladesh of foot-dragging on letting in electoral observers and urging greater efforts to ensure a free vote. The United States followed up after the election with a letter by President Donald Trump that wished Sheikh Hasina success but asked her to "renew her commitment to protecting human rights, individual freedom of expression and democratic institutions," a US official said. Sheikh Hasina is a sworn enemy of Islamists, mounting a crackdown on the Jamaat-e-Islami party that included hanging five of its leaders over charges related to Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. She has also earned widespread praise in Washington for taking in more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from neighbouring Myanmar in a brutal campaign the United States has called ethnic cleansing -- stopping the crisis from become more regional in dimension. Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said that Bangladesh was effectively becoming a one-party authoritarian state -- but one whose orientation largely suits Washington. "I think the bottom line is that the US sees Sheikh Hasina as a useful partner. She's very tough on terror and she's presided over a remarkable degree of economic growth," he said. "I think, in that regard, the US sees her as a supporter and practitioner of stability in Bangladesh in spite of the tradeoff of having a very troubled domestic political situation in Bangladesh." Seeking greater ties Bangladesh's government has shown no sign it takes seriously the concerns about the election, also voiced by the European Union. Sajeeb Wazed, Sheikh Hasina's US-based son who serves as her adviser on information and communications technology, said the pre-election US statement was "disappointing" and blamed it on what he called opposition supporters among local staff at the US embassy in Dhaka. But he saluted the relationship with the United States and voiced hope for further ties, saying a top priority was to draw greater US investment in an economy that has been growing by more than six per cent annually. "We have a huge consumer market. You have almost 80 million people in the middle class," he said. He said that Bangladesh has been "phenomenally successful in combatting terrorism," calling it "one of the few Muslim countries that is considered relatively terrorism-free." Wazed added that the government felt genuine empathy for fleeing Rohingyas in light of Bangladesh's plight at independence and noted that the refugees have not seen the type of backlash experienced by migrants to Europe. Limited scope to criticize The United States see a friendly rapport with Bangladesh as vital to Washington's goal of an open, US-friendly Indo-Pacific region. Unlike neighbors such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh has not drawn high-profile infrastructure deals with China. Another country is even more critical to the US relationship with Bangladesh -- regional power and emerging US ally India, which has staunchly supported Sheikh Hasina, limiting the scope for Washington to take another approach even if it so chose. The opposition, however, is hopeful that US criticism can make headway. Humaiun Kobir, the international affairs secretary of Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party who met policymakers in Washington ahead of the vote, said the United States should make clear that relations will be limited "unless you show us you are democratizing." He said that Sheikh Hasina had turned Bangladesh into a country like Cambodia or Venezuela, where the United States to varying degrees had criticized strongmen. Kobir praised a US House of Representatives resolution that had urged free elections and noted the opposition's concerns. "The United States is the largest bilateral investor and largest trading market," he said. "The US will need to show that it is not business as usual, or otherwise it sends a totally wrong signal."

After criticising vote, US charts careful course on Bangladesh

Voters in St Gallen on Sunday approved by a two-thirds majority a ban on facial coverings such as the burqa, becoming the second Swiss canton to do so.

Full-face coverings such as niqabs and burqas are a polarising issue across Europe, with some arguing that they symbolise discrimination against women and should be outlawed. The clothing has already been banned in France and Denmark.

Under the Swiss system of direct democracy, voters in the northeastern canton demanded tightening the law to punish those who cover their faces in public and thus "threaten or endanger public security or religious or social peace".

The regional government, which had opposed the measure, now has to implement the result of the vote, which drew turnout of around 36 per cent.

Switzerland's largest Islamic organisation, the Islamic Central Council, recommended women continue to cover their faces. It said it would closely monitor the implementation of the ban and consider legal action if necessary.

The Swiss federal government in June opposed a grassroots campaign for a nationwide ban on facial coverings.

The Swiss cabinet said individual cantons should decide on the matter, but it will nevertheless go to a nationwide vote after activists last year collected more than the required 100,000 signatures to trigger a referendum.

Two-thirds of Switzerland's 8.5 million residents identify as Christians. But its Muslim population has risen to 5 per cent, largely because of immigrants from former Yugoslavia.

One Swiss canton, Italian-speaking Ticino, already has a similar ban, while two others have rejected it.

Voters in St Gallen on Sunday approved by a two-thirds majority a ban on facial coverings such as the burqa, becoming the second Swiss canton to do so. Full-face coverings such as niqabs and burqas are a polarising issue across Europe, with some arguing that they symbolise discrimination against women and should be outlawed.

Voters in St Gallen on Sunday approved by a two-thirds majority a ban on facial coverings such as the burqa, becoming the second Swiss canton to do so. Full-face coverings such as niqabs and burqas are a polarising issue across Europe, with some arguing that they symbolise discrimination against women and should be outlawed. The clothing has already been banned in France and Denmark. Under the Swiss system of direct democracy, voters in the northeastern canton demanded tightening the law to punish those who cover their faces in public and thus "threaten or endanger public security or religious or social peace". The regional government, which had opposed the measure, now has to implement the result of the vote, which drew turnout of around 36 per cent. Switzerland's largest Islamic organisation, the Islamic Central Council, recommended women continue to cover their faces. It said it would closely monitor the implementation of the ban and consider legal action if necessary. The Swiss federal government in June opposed a grassroots campaign for a nationwide ban on facial coverings. The Swiss cabinet said individual cantons should decide on the matter, but it will nevertheless go to a nationwide vote after activists last year collected more than the required 100,000 signatures to trigger a referendum. Two-thirds of Switzerland's 8.5 million residents identify as Christians. But its Muslim population has risen to 5 per cent, largely because of immigrants from former Yugoslavia. One Swiss canton, Italian-speaking Ticino, already has a similar ban, while two others have rejected it.

Swiss canton becomes second to ban burqas in public