Yogi Adityanath expresses concern over 'population imbalance'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Monday, underlined the need to control the rapidly increasing population. However, he asserted that an increase in the number of people in any single section of society must be avoided to keep the “religious demography” unchanged.

“It is important to ensure that the population control program is run efficiently, but at the same time it will also have to be ensured that the population of a section of the people does not increase,” Adityanath was speaking at an event organised on Monday to mark World Population Day.

“It should not be that the rate of increase in population of a section increases while the rate of population growth of the indigenous people decreases as a result of the population control programme,” he added.

“Population imbalance must be avoided,” the chief minister remarked.

He said that UP's population, which stood at 24 crore people, would soon reach 25 crores. “It is a challenge and all of us must work toward stabilising the population rising above caste, religion, region and language,” he said.

Last year, the Adityanath government, in its previous term, had proposed a draft of its new population policy. The draft suggested to make couples with more than two children ineligible for state government jobs and also barred them from contesting panchayat elections.

According to the draft policy, couples with two children would receive two additional increments, subsidy while buying a house, and even rebate in utility bills.

It had also provided that couples with one child would receive even more benefits, including four additional increments, free education up till graduation and preference in admission in schools.

Several saffron outfits, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had expressed serious reservations on several provisions of the draft, and had asked the state government to change them.

The Sangh had cautioned the Bharatiya Janata Party on the new population policy, and suggested some amendments. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had also asked the UP government to scrap the new policy saying that it was against the “Hindus” or introduce a new one with amendments.

The state government had then hinted that it was mulling changes in the draft of the new population policy after objections from the RSS, VHP and other saffron outfits. The state had also hinted that it intended to do away with the incentives to the couples having one child, which was part of the draft bill.