MP gets pat for ending panchayat 2-child norm

UNION PANCHAYATI Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar today lauded the Madhya Pradesh Government for abolishing the two-child norm in the Panchayat Raj institutions and appealed other states to follow suit.

UNION PANCHAYATI Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar today lauded the Madhya Pradesh Government for abolishing the two-child norm in the Panchayat Raj institutions and appealed other states to follow suit.

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When the then Babulal Gaur Government had adopted a resolution for scrapping the two-child norm in cabinet meeting, a section saw the move as an extension of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief KS Sudarshan’s appeal to the Hindus to procreate more children.

However, the fact was that such a proposal from the Centre was under consideration for long. Madhya Pradesh is said to have topped in debarring Panchayat representatives for violating the two-child norm.

Talking to newsmen here, Aiyer expressed satisfaction over the manner in which Panchayati Raj system has progressed in the State.

He recalled former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s ‘pioneering’ contribution for the system in Madhya Pradesh. Aiyar has already toured 12 states and is likely to travel more, including Madhya Pradesh to take stock of the progress of the Panchayati raj.

Kerala tops the tally in order of performance followed by Karnataka and Sikkim for 2004-2005, he added.