Yogi unveils UP's population policy; people remind CM of his own siblings

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday unveiled the new population policy 2021-30, 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.

However, while some of the common people were quick to remind Yogi Adityanath of his own siblings, the opposition slammed the move as a political stint ahead of the state Assembly elections due early next year.

Speaking at the unveiling of the policy in state capital Lucknow, the chief minister said that bringing the bill is necessary to control and stabilize the population to promote sustainable development with more equitable distribution. He also underlined the need or creating awareness among the people on this issue.

Meanwhile, the State Law Commission has also prepared the draft of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization, and Welfare) Bill-2021, on which the public can give suggestions till July 19.

In the draft of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization, and Welfare) Bill-2021 issued by the State Law Commission, 'Bacche Do He Acche' has been highlighted.

According to the proposal, parents who limit their family to only two children and are in government service and undergoing voluntary sterilization will be given facilities like two additional increments, promotion, exemption in government housing schemes, increasing employer contribution in PF.

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. Ration cards would be limited to four units.

It is proposed in the draft that the election can be cancelled if the rules are broken.

The single child will get preference in admission in all educational institutions including but not limited to the Indian Institute of Management and All India Institute of Management Science.

Free education up to graduation level, scholarship for higher studies in case of a girl child and preference to the single child in government jobs are other benefits which couples with a single child will receive.

Earlier in the day, Yogi Adityanath had tweeted about the policy. “Increasing population is at the root of inequality and other major societal problems. Population control is the first condition for establishing a developed society. Let’s take a pledge to create awareness about rising problems due to increasing population,” he tweeted in Hindi.

The tweet had garnered more than 47,000 likes by the afternoon.

Some people not only wholeheartedly supported the policy but also advocated stringent measures for violation of the two-child norm. The target of the venomous comments, were obviously, the Muslims.

One Mahesh Pandia commented that Muslims will not abide by the population policy. They would beget 10-11 children, would crowd the hospitals and leave their children to be taken care of by the government.

There were many more such comments. However, some people were quick to point out the loopholes. Prof Dilip Mandal pointed out, “828 people live per square kilometre in Uttar Pradesh and 859 in Kerala. But despite more densely populated Kerala is way ahead of UP in education and health parameters. Per capita income is alos higher in Kerala. Thus, UP’s problem lies elsewhere. Think about it if you love UP,” Mandal tweeted in Hindi.

One Ashwani wrote tongue-in-cheek on Twitter, “If the new population policy envisages to deprive people of government welfare schemes then it should begin with the resignation by the chief minister who has seven siblings. It will send a good message in the public as well as UP will be rid of fear.

One Dr Sunil, PhD asked, “So how much population should be there? Let’s wait for Census 2021 to find out if the population actually increasing or not. Unemployed youth are sitting idle at homes amid government’s fake election campaign, they are not getting married. Where would children come from? Babaji, you please leave in 2022. Enough is enough.”

One Amit Gupta urged the CM to think about unmarried, unemployed youth like him. “Give jobs to us so that we get married. Not getting married due to unemployment,” he said.

One Ashwani Prajapati nailed it thus, “After enjoying power for seven years at the Centre and four and a half years in state, now you remember population control? No matter what propaganda for polarisation you run, public will reply in 2022.”

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress in the state has called it a "political agenda" and the Samajwadi Party said it is "murder of democracy".

In a Hindi tweet, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh has said, "The RSS and BJP leaders talk about increasing the population. Population control is a subject of the Centre. Yogi Adityanath (CM) is bringing the bill keeping in mind the UP Assembly elections."

Samajwadi Party MLC Ashutosh Sinha said, "Bringing this bill means murder of democracy. This is an immature decision on the part of the Uttar Pradesh government.”