India / Laws alone can't attain population control: Bihar CM

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday shared his opinion about states introducing legislation to control population growth, presenting government-related schemes or opportunities as incentives for couples with not more than 2 children.

When asked about the move by states like Uttar Pradesh and Assam, Nitish Kumar said: "Every state is independent to do what they want. My opinion is very clear that population control can't be attained by just making laws".

The Bihar Chief Minister cited the example of China, asking people to review the impact of their policy changes regarding population, the shift from the one-child policy.

"The bigger element is that when women are educated, they become conscious and aware enough that fertility rate comes down as a consequence," Nitish Kumar said.

The Bihar Chief Minister talked about his own experience regarding realisation of this cause and effect relationship and how his government has been working towards the same.

"We have been working on this. But people seem to think that only making laws will tackle the issue which one's opinion and we have our own take on this issue. Educating women impacts all communities," he added.

The issue of population control has once again gained attention as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday unveiled a policy aimed at stabilising the population in Uttar Pradesh.

The UP government is implementing this policy keeping in mind all sections of the society, the chief minister said on the occasion.

A draft bill on population control was put up on the website of the Uttar Pradesh law commission inviting suggestions from the public till July 19. According to the bill, people having more than two children in Uttar Pradesh will be debarred from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs, or receiving any kind of subsidy.

The draft bill also seeks to prohibit promotions in government jobs for such people, while offering incentives to those limiting their children to two.

Besides population stabilisation, the UP Population Policy also aims at reducing preventable maternal and infant deaths, preventing the death of children under the age of 5 years, and improving their nutritional condition.

In June, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that "be it loan waiver or other government schemes, population norms will be taken into account. It won't be applicable to tea garden workers/SC-ST community".

"In the future, population norms will be taken into account as eligibility for government benefits. Population policy has begun," he added.

CM Himanta informed that the government will gradually incorporate a two-child policy for availing benefits provided by the state.

The issue of population control is also likely to be discussed in the parliament's monsoon session, sources said.