POPULATION CONTROL BILL, 2021

What Is Population Control Bill?

Introduced in the year 2019, the Population Control Bill was introduced in the parliament to provide for measures to control the population in the country and for the matters connected with it. The bill was applicable only to married couples wherein the boy is of 21 years of age and the girl is of 18 years. The purpose of the bill was to control the population growth of India which is increasing day by day at an alarming rate. As per the World Population Prospects 2019 report issued by the United Nations, the population of India might overtake the population of China within a span of 10 years if not controlled within a time limit and it turned out to be a reality. This bill was signed by 125 Members of Parliament and is yet to become a law in India. 

The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha post the Post Population Control Bill, 2019 with an aim to promote small family culture by offering of incentives in taxes, employment, free healthcare, and education. The intention was to promote people to restrict their family to 2 children and promote adoption through various measures. Population Control Bill, 2019 also talks about penalties for couples who will not adhere to the two-child policy like debarment from contesting of elections, ineligibility for government jobs, denial of financial benefits, and reduction in benefits under the Public Distribution System. Further, the bill also mandates that government employees should give an undertaking to the government that they will not have more than two children.

 Objectives of the Bill

The objective of the Population Control Bill 2019 revolves around several reasons within a country in the following manner:

1. The main objective of the Central Government is to make available contraceptives resources at the reasonable at all the sub-health centers in India;
2. To set up a district-level monitoring committee which will be called as District Population Stabilisation Committee in a hundred districts that have the highest recorded population growth rates which will consist of the chief Medical Officer of the district; District Collector; and one representative from each Panchayat Samiti from the the district;
3. A high population growth rate can lead to unemployment, by promoting smaller families via incentives and penalties, in order to seek stability in the economy resources utilized.

Pros And Cons of Population Control Bill

Pros

• In the event a married couple has a single child and is voluntarily going for sterilization operation the government will give preference to their child for admission in higher studies institutions; in selection for government jobs; and such other benefits that may be prescribed by the appropriate government.
• In the event a married couple has a single child who is below the poverty line and is voluntarily going for sterilization operation, in addition to the above benefits, the government will give sixty thousand rupees as a lump sum payment for the boy child and one lakh rupees for the girl child.
• A compulsory subject to educate the children on population control will be introduced in all senior secondary schools of the state in which the average fertility rate is more than the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
• By controlling population growth, the government will ensure that resources are sufficient to meet the needs and future generations of people without compromising the environment or quality of life.

Cons

• The bill is misguided and has misread India’s demographic trajectory to a large extent.
• One of the major cons of the bill is that disincentives through denial of benefits under the anti-poverty schemes like subsidized food grains through the Public Distribution System will impact the poorest and most marginalized sections of the population and will worsen their impoverishment.
• As we are well aware of the mindset of major Indians, the “son-meta preference” is always going to exist and this two-child policy will be adding additional burden on women by way of sex-selective practices and forced sterilizations.
• The bill also mandates that government employees should give an undertaking to the government that they will not have more than two children. They will be allowed to have more than one child only in the case of disability in any of the living children and if any employee is found in violation of this act and will be dismissed from the service.

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