OPPOSING A celebration MP’s non-public member’s Bill which sought to implement a two-child rule with penal provisions for violations, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya instructed Rajya Sabha on Friday that as an alternative of utilizing “force (jabran)”, the federal government had efficiently used consciousness and well being campaigns to realize inhabitants management.
BJP MP Rakesh Sinha had launched his Population Regulation Bill in Rajya Sabha in July 2019. He withdrew the Bill on Friday, following Mandaviya’s intervention.
Mandaviya listed the affect of household planning applications throughout varied indicators, together with a discount in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) — the typical variety of kids per lady — to 2.0 on the nationwide stage. He quoted statistics from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-V and Census information amongst others to ascertain that the speed of inhabitants progress has been constantly lowering.
“When we discuss NFHS and have a look at the Census, we are able to see the success we’ve got achieved. In 1971, the typical annual exponential progress was 2.20; 2.14 in 1991; 1.97 in 2001; and 1.64 in 2011. It reveals inhabitants progress has declined, and has been declining. The price of progress seen between the ’60s and ’80s has come down considerably. It is an effective signal. The complete fertility price has dropped to 2.0 in NFHS-V,” he mentioned.
Mandaviya additionally highlighted the drop in teenage start price and teenage marriage to six.8 per cent and 23.3 per cent respectively. “This indicates that government policies on population control without using force, or making it compulsory, and through awareness are working… I request him (Sinha), we are trying to work towards meeting your objectives so that all classes, communities get the best opportunities to develop. I request you to withdraw the bill,” he mentioned.
Withdrawing his Bill, Sinha expressed confidence that “we will be able to control our population, rising above caste, religion, language and district”, on account of significant efforts being undertaken by the federal government on this regard. “Our (authorities’s) efforts are being undertaken in a constitutional method. We don’t wish to repeat the Emergency,” he mentioned.
Sinha mentioned whereas he did not use the phrases Hindu or Muslim in his Bill, one shouldn’t hesitate to make use of “facts” whereas discussing a difficulty. “Using the words Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi don’t make it unconstitutional,” he mentioned. “Between 1901 and 2011, Hindu population has reduced by 13.8 per cent, while Muslim population has increased by 9.8 per cent. This is a fact. I don’t want to comment on whether this increase is good or bad, but you can’t turn away from facts,” he mentioned.
BJP members KJ Alphons, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and Harshvardhan Singh Dungarpur, who spoke earlier than Mandaviya, supported the Bill as they questioned the purported inhabitants progress price of a selected group.
Opposing the Bill, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh mentioned the nation has reached substitute stage fertility. “After two generations, population will remain stable or begin to decline. Rakesh Sinha’s Bill is based on a completely flawed assumption. Barring the most unfortunate period of Emergency, India’s family planning has been based on democratic means,” he mentioned.
Ramesh mentioned the Parliament additionally must debate how to not penalize the southern and western states which are success tales in household planning. The concern has political implications within the gentle of one other attainable spherical of delimitation, he mentioned.
TMC MP Jawhar Sircar, who additionally opposed the Bill, mentioned training of women and girls was the time-tested “magic pill” that would assist in inhabitants management. He additionally suggested in opposition to deploying state pressure. “Never empower a bureaucracy with vague powers, they are likely to be misused much more than you think,” mentioned Sircar, a retired IAS officer.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
