The UP population policy!

If anything in India has grown robust, it is the population. From 36 crores in 1947, we are now 1,39.4 crores, increasing by 67385 every day. India would be overtaking China as early as 2025 in population.

Indira Gandhi’s June 1975 declaration of emergency saw the emergence and rise of a draconian parallel force, her son Sanjay Gandhi. If I remember the days of cold horror, I cannot forget the dozens of simple rural folk who would come and take refuge within our compound in the night. The reason? They would be whisked away and vasectomised forcibly. ‘Nasbandi ka teen Dalal, Sanjay, Barooah, Bansi Lal,’ ‘the three agents of family planning, Sanjay, Barooah, Bansi Lal’ still reverberates in my mind.

The government forced targets on government employees and teachers who had to fulfil their quota of sterilisations. Thus, a worthy and necessary initiative was destroyed by the faulty approach of Sanjay Gandhi for almost the next five decades.

Yogi Adityanath’s government in Uttar Pradesh had commissioned Justice AN Mittal to prepare a draft bill on population, which summarised that all the resources were overstretching due to increasing population, including food, jobs, and dignity of living.

If Uttar Pradesh were to be a country, it would be the fifth most populous country globally, with 75% of the population of the USA and 6.5 times the population of Canada! With its 24.1 crores population, UP is the most populous State in India, exceeding the combined population of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

Yogi has announced a brave policy on the population to limit family size to two children and stop all government assistance (which runs to more than 77 schemes) to those having more than two children. Furthermore, only those with two children or less will be eligible for all promotions, increments and concessions for housing schemes and other incentives.

Besides reducing newborn and maternal mortality rates, the policy ensures better management of education, health and nutrition of adolescents between 11 and 19 years of age.

For non-government employees, incentivisation by rebates in taxes on water, housing, home loans is envisaged. This legislation shall apply to a married couple, boys of a minimum of 21 years and girls above 18. The law will be voluntary and will not be enforced on anyone.

The opposition lost no time in vehemently rejecting the idea of any population control. But, the danger is apparent, if all the poor in the country get a mouthful to eat and get an education, these wily politicians may find it difficult to palming off the caste and religious platter for their political survival.

If India has to grow, the politicians must stop yelling about a ‘youthful human capital,’ which would transform the ageing world. They are lying! We have seen the migrants in crisis not too long back, which can get only worse. The only solution for India’s growth is to restrict the growth in population and ensure the spread of basic facilities like food, medical, housing and education to one and all.

I must compliment CM Yogi’s daring and bold policy announcement on population, which will take his State higher. The policy must become a national one soon!

Jai Hind

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix