In a move to control population, the Uttar Pradesh governmenton Saturday drafted a proposal which directs couples to not have more than twochildren.
The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission (UPSLC) statesthat the provisions are part of the draft titled The Uttar Pradesh Population(Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021.
The UPSLC website says, “The State Law Commission, UP isworking on control, stabilization and welfare of the population of the stateand has prepared a draft bill.”
Moreover, the UP govt has asked for public suggestionsas well to improve the draft Bill. Notably, UP people can write theirsuggestions by July 19.
Listing incentives for public servants who adopt thetwo-child norm, the draft bill says, “Public servants who adopt the two-childnorm will get two additional increments during the entire service, maternity oras the case may be, paternity leave of 12 months, with full salary andallowances and 3 percent increase in the employer’s contribution fund undernational pension scheme.”
A State Population Fund will be constituted for thepurpose of implementation of the act.
How UP government will implement it?
As per the population control draft Bill, the UP govt willspread awareness about family planning methods by following:
1. Establishingmaternity centers at all primary health centers
2. Distributionof contraceptive pills, condoms, etc bythe health centers and NGOs
3. Communityhealth workers to spread awareness about family planning
4. Ensuringmandatory registration of pregnancies, deliveries, births, and deaths across thestate
5. Introducing‘population control’ as a compulsory subject in all secondary schools
What is the aim of introducing the bill?
With this bill, the UP govt seeks to strengthen effortsto provide measures of birth control, stabilize and provide welfare to thepopulation of the state by implementing and promoting the two-child norm.
The draft bill reads, “In Uttar Pradesh, there are thelimited ecological and economic resources at hand. It is necessary and urgentthat the provision of basic necessities of human life including affordablefood, 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, stabilize the population of the state for the promotion of sustainable developmentwith more equitable distribution, it says.
“It is necessary to ensure healthy birth spacing throughmeasures related to augmenting the availability, accessibility, and affordabilityof quality reproductive health services to achieve the goal of populationcontrol, stabilization and its welfare in the state,” the draft bill reads.