CM Yogi Adityanath unveils UP population policy

The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday released the new population policy for 2021-2030 on the occasion of World Population Day. While unveiling the policy in Lucknow, chief minister Yogi Aadityanath said every community has been taken care of in Population Policy. He said that there should be a gap between two children in order to control the population in the state. He further said that an increasing population can be a hurdle in the development of the state and the country. "Population growth is also related to poverty. Every community has been taken care of in Population Policy 2021-2030," Adityanath said.

Uttar Pradesh is aiming for stability by 2050 and the government is trying to reduce population growth rate to 2.1 per cent. The UP law commission that has formulated a population control bill said the policy would be voluntary and nobody would be forced to follow any rule. However, if any person decides to on his or her own to not have more than two babies, they will be eligible for government schemes., while those who do not follow the policy, will face restrictions in government jobs, availing ration, and other benefits.

Over the years, several other states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have introduced such measures to bring down the population, but the success has not been equally spread. While states like Bihar and UP continue to register high population growth, others have been able to control the fertility rate.  For a country’s population to remain stable, it is the total fertility rate should be 2.1. India’s national fertility rate is 2.2 at the moment, but due to the uneven spread of the population, some states are now introducing new measures to incentivise couples and create more awareness on the issue.