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Uttar Pradesh plans job curbs based on family size
The draft bill, for which suggestions have been invited from the public by July 19, also proposes to prohibit people who have more than two children from contesting local bodies elections or receiving any kind of subsidy.
A draft bill on population control prepared by the Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission proposes to make people with more than two children ineligible for government jobs, disentitle those already in service to promotions and exclude them from benefits of 77 schemes.
The draft bill, for which suggestions have been invited from the public by July 19, also proposes to prohibit people who have more than two children from contesting local bodies elections or receiving any kind of subsidy. It also suggests incentives such as tax rebates for those with up to two children.
The draft has been uploaded on the commission’s website. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to announce on Sunday a new population policy 2021-30 for the state, which is set to go to the polls early next year. Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state with a population of around 220 million.
Justice AN Mittal (retd), the panel’s chairman, said all aspects were looked into and an exhaustive study of such laws was carried out before the proposed legislation was drafted. He underlined the need for a law to check the increasing population of the state.
“Resources are already overstretched due to increasing population. Be it medical facilities, food grains and jobs, everything is under stress due to the rising population,” said Mittal, a former Allahabad high court judge.
“Imagine if the population of the state remains 22 crore (220 million) to 23 crore (230 million) even after 20 years, then what will be the state’s condition. There will be the availability of everything in abundance for the future generation. There will be no scarcity of resources,” he said.
The proposed incentives for government employees with one child include increments, promotions and concessions in housing schemes. For those who are not government employees, the incentives listed are rebates in taxes on water, housing and home loans. If a single child’s parent opts for vasectomy, then the child will be entitled to free medical facilities until the age of 20. Such children are also proposed to get free education, insurance and preference in government jobs.
The draft bill said: “Public servants who adopt the two-child norm will get two additional increments during the entire service, maternity or as the case may be, paternity leave of 12 months, with full salary and allowances and three per cent increase in the employer’s contribution fund under the National Pension Scheme.” A state population fund will be constituted for its implementation. Listing the government duties, the draft bill said that maternity centres will be set up at all primary health centres.
The draft bill also said that it shall be the duty of the government to introduce a compulsory subject relating to population control in all secondary schools.
The Congress questioned the timing of the draft bill ahead of the assembly polls in the state. “The polls are due in seven to eight months. What is the urgency to bring the (draft) bill now when parties are preparing for the assembly polls?” said VN Madan, state Congress spokesperson. Madan said they were studying the draft bill and added that the Congress will support its positive aspects and oppose the ones the government has incorporated for its own benefits.
Chief ministers of Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states of Uttar Pradesh and Assam have of late sought population control. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said large families were likely to lose certain state benefits.
According to United Nations data, the rate of population growth is falling behind replacement rates in over half of the countries globally. The growth rate in the global population is projected to be zero by the end of the century perhaps for the first time. China has allowed two to three children per household to reverse a fall in its population after decades of the one-child policy.
India is projected to overtake China as the most populous country by 2025.
Adityanath will release the Uttar Pradesh Jansankhya Neeti-2021-30 (UP population policy-2021-30) on the occasion of the World Population Day on Sunday. He will also distribute kits to promote family planning among some newly married couples, a state government statement said on Saturday.
On Thursday, the chief minister held a meeting on the policy and said: “For providing a better standard of living to all, it is necessary to control the population growth. And for the development of Uttar Pradesh, it is necessary to check the population growth rate. By controlling the population, we can realise the dream of a better tomorrow.”
“People should be told that a small family is the basis of prosperity and with a reduced population density, people will have a better environment. For a healthy society, it is necessary to stabilise the population,” he said.
