Uttar Pradesh Population Control Bill: Every year on July 11, the world observes World Population Day. The same day this year, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the state’s population policy 2021-30 which proposed that people having more than two children in the state should not be granted any special benefits and should be barred from using official concessions.
The Chief Minister also tweeted about the proposed bill on the same day, saying that the growing population in the nation has a major impact on its development and operations. He went on to say that population control is essential because it is the "root cause" of major problems including "inequality". The state government has now submitted a draft proposal of population control bills.
बढ़ती हुई जनसंख्या समाज में व्याप्त असमानता समेत प्रमुख समस्याओं का मूल है। समुन्नत समाज की स्थापना के लिए जनसंख्या नियंत्रण प्राथमिक शर्त है।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) July 11, 2021
आइये, इस 'विश्व जनसंख्या दिवस' पर बढ़ती जनसंख्या से बढ़ती समस्याओं के प्रति स्वयं व समाज को जागरूक करने का प्रण लें।
Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state with a population of around 220 million. The Chief Minister also urged everyone to take a pledge to spread awareness about the objects of the proposed Bill.
Here are ten things to know about what UP's Population Control Bill proposes:
1. The preamble of the bill states that the policy will stabilise the population and promote the two-child norm, ensuring the long-term growth of our existing resources.
2. In the bill, the state government seeks to bar anyone violating the two-child policy from getting a government job. Also, there will be no subsidy available for those with more than two children, says the draft bill, a PTI report said.
3. The Bill also states that those who have more than two children are ineligible in contesting local bodies polls, applying for or getting promotion in government jobs, and receiving benefits of welfare schemes. Know more about the impact here.
4. It can also disentitle those already in service to promotions. It also suggests incentives such as tax rebates for those with one or two children.
5. The proposed incentives for government employees with one child include all government welfare schemes, increments, promotions, and concessions in housing schemes.
6. State govt run centres and NGOs will distribute contraceptive pills, condoms to spread awareness about family planning methods through community health workers and ensure mandatory registration of pregnancies, deliveries, births and deaths across the state, state's Law Commission chairman Aditya Nath Mittal on Saturday.
UP State Law Commission comes with draft of 'Population Control Bill 2021'.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 10, 2021
"Whosoever, after commencement of the Act, in contravention of 2 child norm procreates more than 2 children shall be ineligible to contest elections to local authority or any body of local self-govt." pic.twitter.com/cG2n7lRkoY
7. The draft also says that public servants who follow 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 percent increase in the employer’s contribution fund under national pension scheme.
A couple living below the poverty line, having only one child & undergoes voluntary sterilization operation upon himself or spouse shall be eligible for a one-time lump-sum amount of rupees 80,000/- if the single child is a boy, and rupees one lakh if the single child is a girl. pic.twitter.com/MEuEH9rQJb
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 10, 2021
8. Recently, the state of Assam had announced that it will gradually implement a two-child policy for availing benefits under specific schemes that are funded by the state.
9. A day after this bill was proposed, several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members are prepping to push for a national population control law through private members' Bills in the next session of Parliament beginning next week, sources claimed.
10. In the case of Uttar Pradesh, the draft has been uploaded on the commission’s website, inviting suggestions from the public until July 19.
Feature Image Credit: dailymail