Devendra Fadnavis Lauds UP's New Population Policy, Backs Such Law For Entire Country

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government's new population policy for 2021-2030 and said if needed, such a law should be formulated for the entire country.

Talking to reporters, the BJP leader said such a law should be there in states where there is a huge "population explosion".

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday unveiled the Uttar Pradesh Population Policy 2021-2030, saying increasing population was a "hurdle in development" and more efforts are needed to control it.

The UP government recently put up a draft of its population control bill on the state's law commission website, saying people having more than two children in UP will be debarred from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs or receiving any kind of subsidy.

It also prohibits promotions in government jobs for such people, while offering incentives to those limiting their children to two.

The draft says it is necessary to control and stabilise the population of the state for the promotion of sustainable development with more equitable distribution.

Replying to a query on it, Mr Fadnavis said, "I feel that if needed, such a law should also be framed for the entire country." "We don't want to do it like China, but at the same time we need to control our population. We live in a democracy and if we implement such a law through incentives, then we can certainly control our population," he said.

Notably, the UP government has said that as part of its new policy, it will incentivise people to help in population control.