New Population Policy of UP

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Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government released a new population policy.

About

• The new population policy aims to tackle a key issue in Uttar Pradesh ahead of polls next year. Population control has emerged as a key focus area.

Population Policy

• On World Population Day, the Uttar Pradesh government announced a new population policy for 2021-2030 titled, The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021. 
• The new policy has provisions to give incentives to those who help in population control.
• Key Provisions:
  • It will focus on efforts to increase the accessibility of contraceptive measures issued under the Family Planning Programme and provide a proper system for safe abortion.
  • Another focus area of the new population policy is to reduce the newborns’ and maternal mortality rate.
  • Care of the elderly, and better management of education, health, and nutrition of adolescents between 11 to 19 years has also been ensured in the policy, according to the state government.
  • The Uttar Pradesh government will give Incentives in the form of promotions, increments, concessions in housing schemes and other perks to employees who adhere to population control norms, and have two or less children.
    • Public servants who adopt the two-child norm will get two additional increments during the entire service, maternity or as the case may be, paternity leave of 12 months, with full salary and allowances and three percent increase in the employer’s contribution fund under the National Pension Scheme,” according to UP government’s draft population control bill.
    • For those who are not government employees and still contribute towards keeping the population in check, will get benefits like rebates in taxes on water, housing, home loans etc.
  • If the parent of a child opts for vasectomy, he/she will be eligible for free medical facilities till the age of 20.
  • The Uttar Pradesh government plans to set up a state population fund to implement the measures. 
  • The draft bill also asks the state government to introduce population control as a compulsory subject in all secondary schools.
  • It cites strain on resources due to growing population as the need to have a population control policy in place. It is necessary and urgent that the provision of basic necessities of human life including affordable food, safe drinking water, decent housing, access to quality education, economic/livelihood opportunities, power/electricity for domestic consumption, and a secure living is accessible to all citizens.
  • The provision of this legislation shall apply to a married couple where the boy is not less than 21 years of age and the girl is not less than 18. The UP law commission, which has prepared the draft bill, said that the policy will be voluntary – it will not be enforced upon anyone.

Criticism of the Policy 

• Success of Southern States is not based on this: The success of India’s southern states in containing population growth indicates that economic growth as well as attention to education, health and empowerment of women work far better to disincentive larger families than punitive measures. 
• Other sociological factors need to be strengthened to harness the demographic dividend: In areas with high poverty, low economic growth and fewer educated women, fertility levels tend to be higher. 
  • Unfortunately, “population control,” appears to be making a comeback as a political catchphrase, ironically when “demographic dividend,” is seen more as a challenge rather than an opportunity. 
• Major hit to poor and marginalised: Any penal population policy, it follows, tends to doubly exclude the poor and the marginalised. 
• Give more choice to Women to take their decisions and implement it fully: There is also growing evidence that Indian women, across economic and social strata, would have fewer children if they could exercise their choice fully. 
• Education should be the prime focus to finally achieve population control: Any government interested in supporting fertility decline, then, must go to work on the education and empowerment of women and respecting their choices. 

Way Forward

• In a country yet to recover from Covid-19’s second wave and a continuing economic crisis, the political class has surely more to do than decide family size for citizens. 
• To actually realise Population Control, educating women and giving them freedom to make choice and implement it, should be first to have attention by the Government.

Source: TH