U.P. panel readies two-child norm plan 

The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission has prepared a proposed draft Bill for popu- lation control, under which a two-child norm will be im- plemented and promoted. After the law comes into force, a person with more than two children will be de- barred from several benefits such as government-spon- sored welfare schemes and from contesting elections to the local authority or any bo- dy of the local self-govern- ment, the draft says. Ration card units will be limited to four persons. A person contravening the law will also become in- eligible to apply for State go- vernment jobs and be barred from promotion in govern- ment services and any kind of subsidy. The provisions will come into force one year after the date of the publication of the

gazette, the draft says. Chief Minister Yogi Adi- tyanath will on July 11 launch the Uttar Pradesh Popula- tion Policy 2021-2030 on the occasion of World Popula- tion Day.

Sops for sterilisation The Commission has upload- ed the proposed draft Uttar Pradesh Population (Con- trol, Stabilisation and Wel- fare) Bill, 2021 and invited suggestions till July 19. As per the draft, several incentives have been provid-

ed to people, including pu- blic servants, if they adopt the norm by undergoing vo- luntary sterilisation. The incentives include a 3% increase in the em- ployer’s contribution fund under national pension; two additional increments dur- ing the entire service; subsi- dy towards purchase of plot or house site or building a house; rebate on charges for utilities such as water, elec- tricity and house tax; and soft loan for construction or purchasing a house at nomi- nal rates of interest. A public servant or com- mon citizen who adopts a one-child norm will receive additional benefits such as free healthcare facility and insurance coverage to the child till age 20; preference to the single child in admis- sion in all education institu- tions, including but not li- mited to the Indian Institutes of Management and the All

India Institute of Medical Sciences; free education up to the graduation level; scho- larship for higher studies in case of a girl child and prefe- rence to a single child in go- vernment jobs.

Cash incentive Acouple living below the po- verty line that has only one child and undergoes volun- tary sterilisation shall be elig- ible for payment of a one- time ₹80,000 if the single child is a boy and ₹1 lakh if it is a girl. Explaining the reasons for bringing out the draft Bill, the Commission headed by Justice Aditya Nath Mittal said there were limited eco- logical and economic re- sources at hand in Uttar Pra- desh and it was necessary to control and stabilise the population for the promo- tion of sustainable develop- ment with more equitable distribution.