Draft bill has provisions to debar people with over two children from benefits of government schemes.
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission released the first draft of the proposed population control bill.
The Law Commission has uploaded its draft on the official website and sought public opinion by 19 July. This draft has been introduced at a time when the Yogi Adityanath government is going to issue a new population policy on 11 July.
The draft bill has provisions to debar people who have more than two children from the benefits of government schemes and perks to those who follow the two-child policy.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, chairman of the UP State Law Commission, Justice A.N. Mittal, said: “The Law Commission is making a law on population; the law is such that the person who adopts the population policy, many types of incentives will be given, in which if that person is in a government job, then two additional increments will be given. In his pension scheme, the state government will give 3% more amount. That person will get the benefit of all the welfare schemes of the state government. That person will get priority on purchasing the plots of the authority. Apart from this, free medical facility will also be available. He will get all these facilities.”
The chairman of the commission, which had also drawn up the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Act passed last year in the state, said: “If a person has got sterilization closure after two children, then that person will get all these facilities. If a woman has completed 45 years of age and the youngest child is 10 years old, then she will get these facilities. If a person from a BPL family gets sterilization done after a child, then he will be given an incentive award of Rs one lakh. The state government should allocate the budget by forming a State Population Front and budget should be available in it to run them.”
“If a person does not want to adopt the population policy, then the ration card of that person should be limited to four persons (unit). That person will not get the benefit of any welfare schemes of the state. If a woman has more than one child from the same pregnancy, then under this law, she will be considered as having one child. If a person’s child dies or the child is born disabled, then that person is allowed to have another child,” he added.
Justice Mittal further said: “There is also a provision in this law that if the sterilization law of this person fails, then the state government will give a compensation of Rs 50,000 to such a person. If someone has more than two children before the implementation of the law, then this law will not apply to him nor will he be denied any facility.”
“An agency will be formed to implement it and the government will implement it. There is no restriction on any person to have children. He should do two, four or five. The restriction will be only that the ration card of a person who gives birth to more than two children will be only up to four units. That person will not be able to apply for government jobs, will not be able to contest the elections of Municipal Corporation and Panchayat. That person will not be able to take advantage of any government scheme,” he said.
“After the constitutional amendment in 1977, this subject is a subject of the state list and the state government can make laws on it. Different parties have introduced bills for population control 35 times in the Lok Sabha, but till now no bill could be passed. There is no law regarding this in any state of the country. We are making arrangements in the law to propagate the law. Contraceptive pills to the people, and the benefits of the law should be made available to the people. This is the duty of the government,” he added.