'Yogi Adityanath Going Against Modi Govt': AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi On UP Population Control Bill

Owaisi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had in an affidavit in December 2020 said there cannot be a two-child policy in the country due to the declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR).

Lucknow: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday termed the Uttar Pradesh draft population bill to be a decision against the Centre.

Owaisi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had in an affidavit in December 2020 said there cannot be a two-child policy in the country due to the declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR).

“Yogi government, on the other hand, is opposing it and going against the Modi government. The third thing is that it is completely against Article 21. This motion is against the decision of the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court. This will cause a huge loss to the women of UP,” said Owaisi.

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“We fixed age of marriage in the National Policy. We arranged for education asking there should be a gap after one child,” he added asserting the health condition in rural Uttar Pradesh is in a pathetic state.

Owaisi pointed out that as per the 2000 population policy, the TFR has reduced from 3.2 percent to 2.2 percent in 2018 “without incentives”.

“In December 2020, the Centre in an affidavit mentioned that international experience shows that any coercion to have number of children is counter-productive,” Owaisi said.

Owaisi further opined that if this policy is brought then it will cause a big loss to the women.

He said the Law Commission has given a paper on the Uttar Pradesh government’s population policy and has sought opinion.

“We will also give the opinion on behalf of our party and send it to the Law Commission and the UP government,” he added.

The bill seeks to discourage couples from having more than two children by making them ineligible for government jobs and various welfare benefits.

The bill’s main provisions include increasing the accessibility of contraceptive measures, providing a proper system for safe abortion, reducing the infant and maternal mortality rate and better manage education, health, and nutrition of adolescents aged between 11 and 19 years.

The bill also provides for several other incentives like out-of-turn promotions, two extra increments and paternity leave of 12 months with full salary and allowances, and three percent increase in the employer’s contribution under the National Pension Scheme.

Besides, those who are not government employees will get benefits like rebates in taxes on water, housing and home loans etc.

The other provisions of the bill include setting up a state population fund and introducing population control as a compulsory subject in all secondary schools.