The new draft of the population control bill in Uttar Pradesh proposes to bar people having more than two children from contesting local bodies polls, from applying for or getting promotion in government jobs, and receiving any kind of government subsidy.
These are some of the measures mentioned in the draft bill titled Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021 highlighting `Bacche Do He Acche’.
The UP State Law Commission 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.' Public suggestions have been invited to improve the draft bill and July 19 is the last date for it.”
The bill will be officially unveiled by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Sunday on the occasion of World Population Day.
In the new population policy, a target has been set to bring the birth rate to 2.1 per thousand population by 2026 and to 1.9 by 2030.
One of the key points in the new policy is to make comprehensive arrangements for the care of the elderly, apart from better management of education, health and nutrition of adolescents between 11 to 19 years. The period of Population Policy 2000-16 of the state has ended and now a new policy is the need of the hour.
Under the proposed population control bill of Uttar Pradesh, any couple following the two-child policy would receive perks from the government, said UP’s Law Commission Chairman Aditya Nath Mittal on Saturday.
“We have proposed that any couple that follows the two-child policy will be given all government benefits. They will be able to avail all government welfare schemes,” Mittal said while talking to a news agency here on Saturday.
The UP Law Commission chairman said that the new bill had provisions to debar people, who had more than two children, from benefiting from government schemes.
"If somebody does not follow this policy, they will not be eligible for such schemes. Their ration card will be restricted to four units. They will not be able to apply for government jobs and if they are already government employees, then they will not get a promotion," Mittal stated.
However, the UP Law Commission chairman added that adherence to the policy will be a voluntary exercise.
"If a person voluntarily keeps the number of his family members limited, he or she will be eligible for government schemes. We are planning to present the bill to the government by the second week of August," he added.
Meanwhile, listing out benefits for public servants who adopt the two-child policy, 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 national pension scheme.’
A ‘State Population Fund’ will be formed to facilitate the implementation of the Act when passed by legislature.
Listing the government's responsibilities, the draft bill says that maternity centres will be established at every primary health centre. The centres and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be assigned the task of distributing contraceptive pills, condoms, and spreading awareness about family planning methods through community health workers. They will also ensure mandatory registration of pregnancies, deliveries, births and deaths within the state.
As per the draft bill, the government will introduce a compulsory subject related to population control in all secondary schools.
There are also provisions to provide exemptions in water, electricity, house tax, home loan, and other such facilities to couples with two children who are not in government jobs.
If the law is implemented, then within a year, all government officials, employees, and elected representatives of local bodies will have to give an affidavit that they will not violate this policy. It is proposed in the draft that the election can be canceled if the rules are broken.
Justifying the proposals, the draft bill says: “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.'
The draft bill emphasises that it is necessary to control and stabilise the population of the state in order to promote sustainable development with more equitable distribution. It is necessary to ensure healthy birth spacing through measures related to augmenting the availability, accessibility, and affordability of quality reproductive health services for achieving the goal of population control, stabilisation and its subsequent welfare in the state, the draft bill says.