The proposed bill on population control emphasises on disincentivising couples from giving birth to more than two children. Couples with more children would be made ineligible for government jobs and subsidies on various facilities and goods provided by the government.
Actor-turned-politician Ravi Kishan, who represents the Gorakhpur constituency, will introduce a private members’ bill on population control in the Lok Sabha today.
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A private member’s bill is introduced by an MP other than a minister. There is little possibility of such as bill becoming a law without the government’s support. Since 1970, no private members’ bill had been passed by Parliament, PTI reported quoting data from PRS Legislative.
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BJP MP Rakesh Sinha has given notice for a similar bill on population control in the Rajya Sabha.
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The bill comes days after the United Nations projected that India would surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
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In 2022, India’s population stood at 1.412 billion against China’s 1.426 billion, the UN report said. India’s population is projected to grow to 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China’s 1.317 billion people.
What does the bill say?
The proposed bill on population control emphasizes on disincentivising couples from giving birth to more than two children. Couples with more children would be made ineligible for government jobs and subsidies on various facilities and goods provided by the government.
Since India’s Independence, the two-child policy has been tabled in Parliament more than 35 times. However, it has failed to become a law. The Population Control Bill, 2019, which was withdrawn in 2022, proposed to introduce a policy of two-child per couple. The bill also proposed to incentivize the adoption of the policy through educational benefits, home loans, better employment opportunities, free healthcare, and tax cuts.
What does the Constitution say?
As per Article 22 of the 1969 Declaration on Social Progress and Development adopted by the United Nations, all couples are free to choose the number of children they wish to have.
Also, any policy that regulates the number of children will be in violation of the constitutional rights stated in Article 16 (equal opportunity in matters of public employment) and Article 21 (protection of life and liberty).
What the bill does not consider?
The proposed population control bill does not consider the case of divorced citizens. It could also infringe the tenets of Islamic laws.
UP move
Recently, the Uttar Pradesh law commission shared a draft bill on population control on its website and called for suggestions from the public. As per the draft bill, couples having more than two children in Uttar Pradesh will not be allowed to contest local bodies elections or apply for government jobs, or receive any kind of subsidy.
Source : CNBC TV18
