NEW DELHI — The Uttar Pradesh Population Policy 2021-2030 bill proposed by CM Yogi Adityanath has been at the centre of criticism from the Opposition ever since it was unveiled.
The opposition has termed it a move aimed at influencing next year’s assembly elections. Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who recently entered into an alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), said that women should be given the right to decide about it.
“This proposal violates Article 21. It will cause harm to the women as 93 per cent of sterilization happens among women in our country. Women should be given the right to decide,” said Owaisi speaking during his visit to the state.
He also said that the view of the Modi government and that of the Yogi government about the population bill is contradictory.
“In a December 2020 affidavit, the Modi government had said that due to declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR), a two-child policy cannot be implemented in the country. The Yogi government, on the other hand, is opposing it,” said Owaisi.
The Hyderabad MP said that as per the population policy of 2000, TFR has reduced from 3.2 per cent to 2.2 per cent in 2018, without incentives.
“In December 2020, Centre in an affidavit mentioned that international experience shows that any coercion to have a number of children is counterproductive…As per the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the two-child norm was opposed by the Centre citing international experience. It also stated that coercion to have a number of children leads to demographic distortion. If the Modi government is not ready to accept it, how come the Yogi government is going against the Centre?” wondered the AIMIM chief.
AIMIM has decided to contest 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh elections in alliance with the SBSP.
The proposed population control policy aims at bringing down the total fertility rate among women to 2.1 per cent by 2026 and 1.9 per cent by 2030. The current TFR stands at 2.7 per cent.
The draft bill also proposes some incentives for government employees like out-of-turn promotions, two extra increments, paternity leave of 12 months and a 3 per cent increase in the employer’s National Pension Scheme contribution. Citizens other than government employees will get rebates in taxes on water, housing, and home loans among others.