News Analysis India

Tag: one-child policy

  • UP likely to table population control bill in Assembly during monsoon session

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Law Commission, headed by Justice AN Mittal, presented the proposed Population Control draft Bill to CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday.

    The state government is expected to present the bill in the monsoon session of the state legislature commencing on Tuesday.

    The sources said that in the final draft bill, the commission has recommended that persons with more than two children should be barred from contesting local elections. Moreover, stress has been laid on the enforcement of the one-child policy.

    According to Justice Mittal the bill draft was handed over to the state government after incorporating all the relevant suggestions given by the people about the population control in the state.

    Interestingly, amidst all the hue and cry raised over UP Law Commission’s proposed Population Control Bill draft, it received overwhelming support from the people and only around 0.47% of the 8,500 suggestions received by the Commission opposed the bill. Rest all other suggestions are either for modification, clarification, or addition.

    ALSO READ | Curious timing of draft law on Uttar Pradesh population control

    The Law Commission sources claimed that it was an elaborate exercise to vet the suggestions received from the public at large. All the suggestions were taken out in the printed form that came to around 2,000 pages, added the sources.

    After going through each and every suggestion, the commission divided them into around 53 different categories with each having suggestions of similar nature under it, sources further added.

    Interestingly, only around 30 to 40 persons have completely opposed the bill, rest others accepted it. However, some wanted after modification, some sought clarifications while rest others accepted the bill in letter and spirit.

    Interestingly, the majority of suggestions spoke about barring those violating the Population Control Act from contesting even MLA and MP elections, while the Commission had already recommended debarring such violators from contesting local elections.

    Significantly, the commission has proposed in the final draft bill to debar those having more than two children from availing the benefits of a number of welfare schemes like state’s health programmes, said the sources.  Moreover, the subsidy on ration should also be stooped for such persons, and a limit for only four persons in the ration card should be made a norm.

    The draft bill also reportedly proposes that persons with over two children should not be allowed to apply for a government job and if they have more than two children while being in a government job, their promotion should be barred.

  • UP likely to table population control bill in Assembly on Tuesday 

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Law Commission, headed by Justice AN Mittal, presented the proposed Population Control draft Bill to CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday.

    The state government is expected to present the bill in the monsoon session of the state legislature commencing on Tuesday.

    The sources said that in the final draft bill, the commission has recommended that persons with more than two children should be barred from contesting local elections. Moreover, stress has been laid on the enforcement of the one-child policy.

    According to Justice Mittal the bill draft was handed over to the state government after incorporating all the relevant suggestions given by the people about the population control in the state.

    Interestingly, amidst all the hue and cry raised over UP Law Commission’s proposed Population Control Bill draft, it received overwhelming support from the people and only around 0.47% of the 8,500 suggestions received by the Commission opposed the bill. Rest all other suggestions are either for modification, clarification, or addition.

    ALSO READ | Curious timing of draft law on Uttar Pradesh population control

    The Law Commission sources claimed that it was an elaborate exercise to vet the suggestions received from the public at large. All the suggestions were taken out in the printed form that came to around 2,000 pages, added the sources.

    After going through each and every suggestion, the commission divided them into around 53 different categories with each having suggestions of similar nature under it, sources further added.

    Interestingly, only around 30 to 40 persons have completely opposed the bill, rest others accepted it. However, some wanted after modification, some sought clarifications while rest others accepted the bill in letter and spirit.

    Interestingly, the majority of suggestions spoke about barring those violating the Population Control Act from contesting even MLA and MP elections, while the Commission had already recommended debarring such violators from contesting local elections.

    Significantly, the commission has proposed in the final draft bill to debar those having more than two children from availing the benefits of a number of welfare schemes like state’s health programmes, said the sources.  Moreover, the subsidy on ration should also be stooped for such persons, and a limit for only four persons in the ration card should be made a norm.

    The draft bill also reportedly proposes that persons with over two children should not be allowed to apply for a government job and if they have more than two children while being in a government job, their promotion should be barred.

  • VHP asks Yogi government to remove one-child norm from its draft population control bill

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI/PATNA: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday faulted the “Uttar Pradesh population (control, stabilization and welfare) Bill, 2021” on the grounds that the proposal to promote the one-child norm will lead to imbalance among various communities. It stated that this has been a failed project even in China, where it was adopted three decades ago. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also lent a cautionary note to the proposed legislative proposal, saying that more than law, educating women can better achieve the aim.

    While the VHP welcomed the legislative proposal for its overall objective, its international general secretary Alok Kumar said that the fertility rate target of 1.7 per cent and encouraging one child through incentives should be reconsidered. In suggestions sent to state law commission of Uttar Pradesh, the VHP has argued that the proposal to incentivize government functionaries for having one child needs a relook. 

    “The population stability objective is achieved with a fertility rate above two per cent. Even with infant mortality, a fertility rate of 2.1 per cent can give the desired result of the population stability. The state should rather stick with a two-child policy,” said Kumar in his suggestions to the state law commission, arguing that there could be social and economic repercussions in the event of women on an average bearing less than two children.

    The VHP also claimed that the one-child policy can lead to imbalances among communities within the state by citing the example of Kerala and Assam, where Muslim fertility rates are 2.33 and 3.16, respectively, against less than 2.1 per cent of the Hindus. Meanwhile, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, while quoting the state’s model of population control through women education, said that only awareness can help lower the fertility rate, leading to population control in a natural way.

    “What the other states want to do, they should do it but we believe that population cannot be controlled by law alone. Unless women are educated, it is not possible to control the population,” he said.The chief minister stressed that women’s education has helped significantly in checking fertility rate in Bihar. Drawing a parallel with China, he said: “A policy of one child was adopted by China, but we all know the prevailing situation and the consequent course correction in the state policy.” 

    Nitish cited an example of how education can help bring down fertility rate. “Surveys that have been conducted so far have shown that if the woman is educated, then the fertility rate also decreases. Fertility rate has been found to be low in matriculate and inter-educated women in Bihar,” he stressed.In Bihar, he said, adequate attention is paid to education of girls and the results are encouraging. “Of late, fertility rate in Bihar has come down to three per cent from about four per cent. Our understanding is, fertility rate will start declining after 2040, leading to better and more effective population control.” 

    Notice for discussionBJP Lok Sabha MP Ravi Kishan has given a notice of private member Bill on population control notice. Another BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena wants the Rajya Sabha to consider a private member Bill on uniform civil code. In 2019, BJP’s Rakesh Sinha gave a notice of a private member Bill on population. Overall, the two Houses of Parliament have seen 35 private member Bills on the issue, so far.