No govt job, subsidy if more than 2 kids: UP population draft bill

Those having more than two children will be debarred from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs or receiving any kind of subsidy, says a draft of a population control bill put up on the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission website. 

The draft bill, for which suggestions have been invited from the public till July 19, also debars people from getting promotion in government job.

The move has drawn flak from the opposition parties, with the Congress describing it as a "political agenda" ahead of the assembly elections next year.

The Samajwadi Party said the move meant the "murder of democracy".

The UPSLC website says, "The State Law Commission, UP, is working on control, stabilisation and welfare of the population of the state and has prepared a draft bill."

If implemented, the provisions of the draft titled The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021 will come into force after one year from the date of publication in the Gazette.

The provision of this Act shall apply to a married couple where the boy is not less than 21 years of age and the girl is not less than 18.

Suggestions have been invited from the public to improve the draft bill and July 19 is the last date for it.

Listing incentives, the draft bill says, "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 says that maternity centres will be set up at all primary health centres.

The centres and NGOs will distribute contraceptive pills, condoms, spread awareness about family planning methods through community health workers and ensure mandatory registration of pregnancies, deliveries, births and deaths across the state, it says.

The draft bill also says that it shall be the duty of the government to introduce a compulsory subject relating to population control in all secondary schools.

The draft bill reads, "In Uttar Pradesh, there are limited ecological and economic resources at hand. It is necessary and urgent that the provision of basic necessities of human life including affordable food, safe drinking water, decent housing, access to quality education, economic/livelihood opportunities, power/electricity for domestic consumption, and a secure living is accessible to all citizens."

It is necessary to control and stabilise the population of the state for promotion of sustainable development with more equitable distribution, it says.

It is necessary to ensure healthy birth spacing through measures related to augmenting the availability, accessibility and affordability of quality reproductive health services to achieve the goal of population control, stabilisation and its welfare in the state, it says.

Reacting to draft of the proposed bill, Samajwadi Party MLC Ashutosh Sinha said, "Bringing this bill means murder of democracy. This is an immature decision on the part of the Uttar Pradesh government."

Terming the move as a "political agenda" ahead of the assembly polls, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh in a Hindi tweet said, "The RSS and BJP leaders talk about increasing the population. Population control is a subject of the Centre. Yogi Adityanath (CM) is bringing the bill keeping in mind the UP assembly elections."

In June, Sambhal MLA Iqbal Mehmood had said that any law on population control would be a "conspiracy" against Muslims.

"The rise in the country's population is due to the Dalits and tribals and not because of Muslims," the SP MLA had said.

The Sambhal legislator further said that Muslims have already understood the need to go for two or three children and suggested that the Dalits and tribals were responsible for the "increasing population".

The SP legislator also alleged that the move was "actually an attack on Muslims in the garb of population control".