Guwahati: Assam’s government said on Monday it was working to control the population by creating awareness rather than imposing rules.
Education and empowerment of women is an important tool in this regard, said the Minister of Health. Kesha Mahanta said in the assembly.
Responding to the question of the need for population control raised in the House by BJP lawmaker Hemanga Thakuria, Mahanta said the state government has issued the People and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam in 2017, which addresses the issue.
He said a draft law for population control standards is also being drafted through wide consultations.
The minister mentioned the various guidelines and incentives from different government departments for their employees who follow a two-child standard, including fixing the family size for candidates for panchayat elections.
Mahanta said it has been observed that population growth has been higher in areas with low female literacy rates, especially in char (river) areas.
As such, the government is working to increase literacy and awareness in these areas, he added.
“Our government does not want to impose on people, but we want to create awareness. Empowerment of women is the basis of our policy and we have received a positive response from people,” the Minister added.
BJP lawmaker Thakuria, raising the issue, urged the government to take action to control the population.
He claimed that several districts are experiencing abnormal population growth and this will lead to various problems including food security issues for a state like Assam in the future.
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