"Population Nearing Explosive Stage": Uttar Pradesh Law Commission Chair

Uttar Pradesh Law Commission Chairperson, Aditya Nath Mittal on Sunday said that the state's population is nearing an explosive stage and there should be a check on the rising population so that people can get government facilities and resources.

Speaking to ANI, Mr Mittal said, "Population is nearing an explosive stage, causing other issues too -related to hospitals, foodgrains, houses, or employment. We believe that there should be a check on population...Population control is different from family planning."

"We don't want to give a message in Uttar Pradesh that we are against any particular religion or anyone's human rights. We just want to see to it that the government resources and facilities are available to those who are helping in and contributing to population control", the Chairperson of UP Law Commission said.

Mr Mittal further said, "And we want that our future generations get the best education, best treatment at hospitals, can study in the best school, can consume a nutritious diet etc. It is a matter of social concern."

Earlier on Friday (June 18), Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced the gradual implementation of the two-child policy for availing government benefits in Assam. However, tea garden workers and members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities have been exempted from its purview.

The Assam government had approved a proposal to render people having more than two children as ineligible for government jobs from January 1, 2021.

On February 20, 2021, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan spoke about the escalation of the population in the country.

Mr Vardhan had said, "More people require more resources, and as the population increases, the earth''s resources deplete. The population boom has been affecting the planet and the human race in many adverse ways. People in developing countries like India, feel the impact of environmental problems more acutely."

Thereafter he spoke on the exhaustive efforts undertaken by India to encourage the adoption of family planning. He had said, "India was one of the first countries in the world to formulate a National Family Planning Program way back in 1952 which was later expanded to cover maternal and child health as well as adolescent health and nutrition and has taken giant strides in spreading awareness and enhancing adoption of family planning techniques while also ensuring healthier lives for its citizens.

"Even though India''s population has increased from 36 crores in 1951 to 121.02 crore in 2011, the country has witnessed a significant decline in both fertility and mortality; the crude birth rate which was recorded at 40.8 per 1000 in 1951 has declined to 20.0 in 2018; Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined from 6.0 in 1951 to 2.2 in 2015-16; the death rate in India has declined from 7 in 2012 to 6.2 in 2018" Union Minister Vardhan said.

Expanding on the significance of the numbers on India''s future, Dr Harsh Vardhan had said, "Population projection for India and States 2011-2036, released in July 2020, indicates that the Total Fertility Rate is expected to decline from 2.37 during 2011-2015 to 1.73 during 2031-35. India is now in a phase of demographic transition with a substantial percentage of the youth population.

"The youth population in the age group of 15-24 years is projected to decline from 233 million in 2011 to 227 million in 2036. However, the proportion of the working-age population is expected to increase from 61 per cent in 2011 to 65 percent in 2036. India is adding 12 million people to the working-age population each year, " Mr Vardhan said.

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