Uttar Pradesh govt to revisit population control Bill after objections from RSS, VHP

Uttar Pradesh government is mulling changes in the draft of the new population Bill after objections from the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other saffron outfits.

According to sources, the government plans to do away with the incentives to the couples having one child, which is currently part of the draft of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021.

The Bill provides for making couples with more than two children ineligible for state government jobs and also bar them from contesting Panchayat elections while those with two children would receive two additional increments, subsidy in purchase of house and rebate in utility bills.

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It provided that the couples with one child would receive extra benefits, including four additional increments, free education up to graduation and preference in admission in schools.

Along with the opposition parties, several saffron outfits as well as the RSS had expressed serious reservations on several provisions in the draft Bill and had asked the state government to change them.

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The Sangh had cautioned the BJP on the new population policy and suggested some amendments in the same. The VHP had also earlier asked the UP government to scrap the new policy or introduce a new one with amendments saying that it was against the 'Hindus'.

"We have received several suggestions from the members of the public and also legal experts and are currently examining them. Appropriate changes will be made in the draft Bill after considering the suggestions and objections," said a senior state government official here on Tuesday.