OVERVIEW :-
As everyone knows that the rapid increasing human population in many countries is now possessing a great threat to the nature and climate. The rapid increasing population is putting a lot of pressure on land. The resources of our planet are depleting at a very rapid pace. Large population requires more food and shelter. To provide them these basic needs, deforestation is taking place at an enormous rate and forests land is converted into farm lands and new settlements for humans. The wildlife is also hampered by deforestation and everyday there is news related to humans and animals conflict. This is because animals are not able to find proper food for themselves due to deforestation.
Rapid increasing population also leads to unemployment among the youths. People lacks even basic needs of proper drinking water, food and shelter. Government schemes fail to reach to everyone due to huge population.
One such state is Uttar Pradesh in India. As per the data available, UP has a population of more than 20 crores and an average population density of 828 persons per km2 . This population is only less than the top 4 most populous countries. After seeing this rapid increase in population, UP Government has now come up with a population control bill. Let’s discuss the major points of this bill :-
- Anyone is legally eligible for contesting local bodies elections, receiving any kind of government subsidy and applying for getting new government jobs and promotion in government jobs only when they follow the two-child policy.
- Government employees following two-child policy will be given two additional increment in their job tenure by the state government. Maternity leave (if their is a case) of 12 months will full salary and other incentives will be provided. Additionally, 3% increase in the employer’s contribution fund under National Pension Scheme (NPS) will be given by the UP government.
- The Ration Card will be limited to only 4 persons per family. If two-child policy is not followed then all the benefits including subsidised grains from ration shops, subsidy on electricity bill, subsidy on gas cylinders or any other subsidy provided by UP government will be stopped immediately.
- Students in secondary schools will be compulsorily taught a subject related to population control and its benefits.
- Maternity centres will be developed at all primary heath centres to drop both the mother as well as infant mortality rate. These centres will work in collaboration with NGOs to make people aware about the benefits of two-child policy and the measures like using condoms and other family planning methods to be taken to control birth rate.
6. State Population Fund will be set up to effectively implement all the major aspects of this population control bill.
7. The major objective of this bill is described in the bill itself as it reads, ” In Uttar Pradesh, there are the limited ecological and economic resources at hand. 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.”
8. The major goal of the UP government is to provide all the basic medical facilities and best quality reproductive health services at an affordable rate for even the last person in the queue from the most remote villages and backward areas.
9. The UP Government has open a portal seeking more innovative ideas or any acceptable chances that may be considered to further empower this bill. The last date for giving suggestions on this bill is 19th July, 2021.
Links :-
https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/41-SDGS.aspx
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uttar_Pradesh_population_density_2011.svg
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