Uttar Pradesh could frame new law for effective population control
The draft bill seeks to bar couples with more than two children from government jobs, state welfare schemes and contesting local body elections, and reward those limiting families to one or two children.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gives a Shagun Kit to new couple during the release of state's Population Policy 2021-2030 on the occasion of World Population Day, in Lucknow.
Uttar Pradesh could consider a law to implement strategies and programmes being devised to effectively control population, said the state's new population policy for 2021-2030 unveiled on Sunday.
The statement is in line with the first draft of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021, released by the UP State Law Commission for public comments. The draft bill seeks to bar couples with more than two children from government jobs, state welfare schemes and contesting local body elections, and reward those limiting families to one or two children.
The policy aims to bring down the total fertility rate in the state to 2.1 by 2026 and to 1.9 by 2030.
"Efforts will also be made to maintain balance in the populations of different communities. Elaborate awareness programmes will be carried out amongst communities and geographies where total fertility rate is high," said the policy document.
Unveiling the policy, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Across the world, it has been said time and again that increasing population is a hurdle to development. Therefore, various platforms have discussed this issue in the last four decades. Countries and states that adopted proactive measures have seen positive results."
He said the policy takes into account interests of different communities in the society.
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Health minister Jai Pratap Singh told ET that the draft bill is being taken up by the Law Commission and that the health department has not been consulted so far. A law may be considered at a later stage, he said.
Singh said he was not in favour of "enforcement" of any kind and that education, awareness and provision of good quality health care to people were among the focus areas of the policy.
With discussions about the bill beginning ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, it is expected to become a political hot potato if accepted by the government.
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ANI reported senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid as saying in Farrukhabad on Sunday, "The law should be implemented. First, (the government) has to inform how many children do ministers have. Only after that this law should be implemented. Legitimate and illegitimate children should also be counted."
