"Big Announcement" On Population Control In Assembly Session: Assam Chief Minister

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the state government will make some "big announcement" on voluntary sterilisation and other population control measures in the Assembly session starting Monday.

"The Assam bill is already approved. We have not gone through the legislative route. We have passed a resolution in the assembly. UP is trying to do it through an act; we have done this through resolution in the Assembly," Mr Sarma told NDTV.

He said the welfare schemes will be distributed in three ways.

"One type would be basic schemes where the two-child norm would not apply. There will also be schemes that will be 2-child policy-exclusive," he said.

"We have also passed the service rule for the 2-child policy; we will notify in a month or so," he added.

Mr Sarma had, a few days ago, announced that there would be a gradual implementation of a two-child policy in state-run welfare schemes. The law could make only those with up to two children eligible for government jobs and welfare schemes, official sources had indicated earlier.

He had also said last month that the two-child policy could be the only way to eradicate poverty and illiteracy among the state's Muslim minority.

"There is no resistance from the Muslim people. The two factions of the All-Assam Minority Students Union met me twice in the past one month and openly welcomed (the two-child proposal), saying Assam's Muslims need population-control measures," Mr Sarma had said.