essay on population control bill

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Controlling Population: A Double Edged Sword

• 29 Jun 2021
• GS Paper - 1
• Salient Features of Indian Society
• Population and Associated Issues

This article is based on “The cautionary tale behind population control” which was published in the hindustan times on 28/06/2021. it talks about the associated issues with population control in india

Recently, two Indian state governments – Uttar Pradesh and Assam – have advocated aggressive population control measures. This proposal pertains to pursuing a two-child policy for entitlement to state government benefits.

With ongoing trends, India will overtake China as the most populous country by 2025 or perhaps sooner. The overwhelming population burden is causing a resource crunch on resources like hospitals, food grains, houses, or employment.

However, population control, grounded in classic economic theories, has been a double-edged sword. It has both advantages and costs.

Status of Population Growth in the India & World

• In over half of the world’s nations, the rate of population growth is falling behind replacement rates, and, perhaps for the first time, the growth rate in the world’s population is projected to be zero by the end of the century, according to United Nations (UN) data.
• The pandemic has slowed the already slowing global birth rates, from the United States (US) to China, experts estimate.
• From 2060 onwards, India’s population will start falling, which happens when fertility rate falls below replacement levels.

Population Control Theories

• According to him, the population tends to grow exponentially (geometric growth), he argued, but food supply grew in a slower arithmetic ratio.
• However, Malthus was ultimately proved wrong as breakthroughs in agricultural technology made countries, such as India, net food surplus.
• The main economic argument behind this theory was that if per capita income is low, then people are too poor to save.
• Since investment is taken to be equal to savings, low savings would mean the economy doesn’t grow.

Associated Issues With Population Control In India

While these theories increased our understanding of population economics, many of these theories were later found to have many flaws. This can be reflected in the following arguments.

• There would simply not be enough people to work for the economy,
• A large non-productive aging population to support and the government may not have enough resources to support pensions
• This would lead to de-industrialisation.
• His key worry was poor demand for investment in places where companies encounter a falling population of consumers.
• China’s Model: China enforced a one-child norm in the 1980s, but with an increasing share of older people in its population (due to one-child policy), China abandoned the old policy and encouraged couples to have more children.
• The bogey of population explosion is often used (directly or indirectly) to target a particular minority in India. The population controlling measure will impact social harmony.
• Thus, entitlement based population control policy will end up hurting the poor, who need such help the most.
• Restricting to two child policy, is believed to have had an adverse effect on the sex ratio of the population through practices such as female foeticide etc.

Way Forward

• India is poised at a unique moment in history, where it can exploit its demographic advantage to realise its economic goals.
• According to the government’s population projections, 53.6% of India’s population in 2021 is under the age of 29. More than a quarter of India’s population is 14 years or younger.
• Our policy makers will do well to focus on exploiting India’s demographic dividend rather than worrying about it
• For Instance, according to All India Survey on Higher Education data found that India’s higher education sector is mired in deep structural inequalities.
• This young population can become extremely productive or unproductive depending on the skill sets it acquires.
• Focusing on Women: Education of women also plays a role, both in case of fertility rates as well as age of mother at the time of birth of first child. Education helps in bringing down fertility and early birth among women

India is at a stage of demographic transition where mortality rates are declining and fertility rates would decline in the next two to three decades or so. This leads to a scope to cut population growth because India still has a positive growth rate, but our population policy should keep in mind the larger consequences of zero population growth.

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Essay on population controll bill for descriptive paper, paragraph 1, introduction.

Recently, two Indian states – Uttar Pradesh and Assam, have advocated aggressive population control measures. With ongoing trends, India will overtake China as the most populous country by 2025 or perhaps sooner.

In 2001, India became the second country after China to cross the one billion mark. The current population is around 1.38 billion.

Therefore, the ‘Population Control Bill‘ (Population Regulation Bill) was introduced in Rajya Sabha in the year 2019. This bill is mainly introduced to promote the two-child policy, family planning, and control the expanding population day by day.

It also recommends incentives for government jobs, subsidies, and extra benefits under the public distribution system for those with two or fewer children. Other people will be denied these benefits.

Paragraph 2

Population control act 2016.

This act came into force in the year 2016. According to this act, no person shall procreate more than two living children after a period of one year from the commencement of this act.

It came up with a two-child policy, famously known as “ham do humare do” which has been frequently used in public via advertisements.

The two-child policy is a government-imposed limit of two children allowed per family, with the perks of government subsidies given only to the first two children.

Therefore, the population bill is not new to Indians.

Paragraph 3

Necessity of the bill.

To equally distribute basic needs like housing, foodstuffs, drinking water, quality education, job opportunities, etc. among the citizens from the available resources.

If there are more population and fewer resources, it is impossible to equally distribute resources among people.

We should also think about our future generations. If all the resources are distributed to us only, how will our future generation survive with insufficient resources?

As the population rises, so will poverty. This further increases other problems like illiteracy, unemployment, and inflation.

Therefore, to tackle all of these, there is a need for a population control bill/act so we can achieve the goal of sustainable development.

Paragraph 4

Advantages/contribution of the bill.

There are many reasons, why this bill will help the country in sustainable development. The goal of sustainable development is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. If we do a small change in family planning/size, there will be a big change in the future population and we will be able to attain sustainable development.

Some changes we can see after implementing the population control bill:

• Changes in gender inequality
• Availability of clean water and sanitation
• Better implication of quality education
• Better health/medical services for all
• People will get justice in less time
• Unemployment will be reduced, and so will poverty.

Paragraph 5

Disadvantages of the bill.

Still, many families in India want a male child. So, families can easily deny government benefits which will result in more sex-selective abortions like in China during the one-child policy.

Many women do not have a say in family matters. So, with this law, they may even lose control over their body because the male head of the family may control the women to avail of government benefits.

Most people with more than three children are poor. So, denying subsidies and benefits of government schemes will push them into more poverty.

Lack of awareness and availability of contraceptives result in more children. So, punishing the people with no awareness instead of educating them will be the mistake of the government.

Paragraph 6

Concerns/issues of the bill.

A large population is not necessarily a bad thing for the economy. Population controlling measures will result in fewer people working for the economy which would lead the country to de-industrialization.

There would be poor demand for investment in places where companies encounter a falling population of consumers.

China enforced a one-child policy in the 1980s, but with an increasing share of older people in its population, China abandoned the old policy and encouraged couples to have more children now.

The bogey of population explosion is directly or indirectly used to target a particular minority in India. In this context, the bill will impact social harmony.

Paragraph 7

Possible solutions/way forward.

According to the government’s population projections, 53.6% of India’s population in 2021 is under the age of 29. More than a quarter of India’s population is 14 years or younger. Our policymakers should focus on exploiting India’s demographic dividend rather than worrying about it.

India is still nowhere close to guaranteeing possible opportunities to young Indians. This young population can be extremely productive after upgrading the skill sets they require.

Education of women also plays a vital role in fertility rates. Hence, educating them will help in bringing down fertility and early birth among women.

Paragraph 8

India is at a stage of demographic transition where mortality rates are declining and fertility rates would decline in the next two to three decades or so. This leads to a scope to cut population growth because India still has a positive growth rate.

For the maintenance of production and consumption and the sake of future planning, it is necessary to implement a law on expanding population thus only problems like unemployment will be reduced and there will be a better scenario for jobless people.

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• general knowledge

What is Population Control Bill? Know its legal challenges and constitutional roots

Population control bill in india aims at disincentivizing couples from giving birth to more than two children. know more about the bill that proposes to bring india's population problem under control. .

Population Control Bill in India: Actor-turned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Kishan on July 22, 2022, said that he was going to introduce a private member’s Population Control Bill in the Lok Sabha. Reportedly, the BJP leader said that we can be Vishwa Guru only when the Population Control Bill is brought and is important to bring the population under control. The latest statement has again sparked a debate on Population Control Bill, whether the law will be implemented, what effect it will have on the citizens, and whether it will be linked to employment or other government benefits as well.

We can be Vishwa Guru only when Population Control Bill is brought. Very imp to bring population under control. With the way in which it's rising, we're heading towards explosion.I request Oppn to let me introduce Bill & listen to why I want to do it. Discuss!: BJP MP Ravi Kishan pic.twitter.com/9jz32k9Vmk — ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2022

What is Population Control Bill?

While the United Nations report that India has more than 1.4 billion people which makes the country the world’s second-most populous country, the world population review predicts that India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country by the year 2030.

The Population Control Bill in India of 2019, which was withdrawn in 2022, proposed a two-child policy per couple and aimed to incentivize its adoption through educational benefits, better employment opportunities, free healthcare, tax cuts, and home loans.

The proposed Population Control Bill in India aims at disincentivizing couples from giving birth to more than two children. The bill states that couples with more than two children policy be made ineligible for government jobs and subsidies on various facilities and goods provided by the government.

Population Control Bill in India: What does the Constitution Say?

Article 22 of the 1969 Declaration on Social Progress and Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution, ensures that the couples have a right to choose freely and responsibly the number of children they will have.

Population Control Bill in India: What is the constitutional challenge if the law is introduced?

Population Control Bill or Two Child Policy has been introduced in the Parliament of India 35 times since Independence. If enacted, the Population Control Bill must take into account the rights of divorced couples as well as the Islamic religion.

What position states have taken on Population Control Bill?

The Assam Assembly in 2017 passed the ‘Population and Women’s Empowerment Policy of Assam’, which stated that candidates with two children would only be eligible for government employment, and existing government employees were directed to follow the two-child family norm.

In 2021, Assam Policy was amended to make the government jobs out of bounds for people with more than two children.

Population Control Bill in India: What are the ramifications of such law?

Population control bill in other countries.

• China has taken a lead in instituting a strict one-child policy for families. It is the world’s most populous country.
• Kenya has launched a family planning campaign with the goal of matching population size to the available resources.
• Russia, on the other hand, has been experiencing a population decline because of the high mortality rates which are likely due to factors such as alcohol and drugs.

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Essay On How Population Control Bill Help Or Harm A Society

Table of Contents

short Essay On How Population Control Bill Help Or Harm A Society

Population control bills aim to regulate population growth by implementing policies and measures such as birth control, family planning, and incentives or disincentives for having children. The impact of such bills on a society can be both positive and negative.

Positive impacts:

• Reduced overpopulation and strain on resources: By controlling population growth, a society can avoid overpopulation, which can lead to a strain on resources such as food, water, and housing.
• Improved standard of living: With a smaller population, the government can allocate resources more efficiently, leading to an improved standard of living for citizens.
• Better healthcare and education: With a smaller population, the government can invest more in healthcare and education, leading to better access and quality for citizens.

Negative impacts:

• Infringement on personal freedom: Population control bills can infringe on personal freedom by dictating how many children a person can have.
• Unintended consequences: The implementation of population control measures can have unintended consequences, such as a gender imbalance or a decrease in the working-age population.
• Ethical concerns: Some population control measures, such as forced sterilization, raise ethical concerns and can be seen as a violation of human rights.

In conclusion, population control bills can have both positive and negative impacts on a society. It is important for governments to weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks carefully before implementing such measures. Additionally, it is crucial for any population control measures to be implemented in a manner that respects personal freedom and ethical considerations.

Long Essay On How Population Control Bill Help Or Harm A Society

Population growth is one of the most pressing issues facing many countries today, and so governments have been looking to introduce population control bills in order to address this problem. But how will these bills actually affect society? In this essay, we’ll explore the pros and cons of introducing population control bills, and discuss how they may or may not help or harm a society in the long run.

Introduction: Definition of Population Control

The government has been trying to pass a bill called the population control bill for a while now. This bill would give the government the power to regulate the number of children a family can have, as well as offer financial incentives to those who choose not to have any children. The government believes that this bill will help reduce the amount of people living in poverty and help with overpopulation. However, there are many people who believe that this bill is harmful and would do more harm than good.

Pros and Cons of a Population Control Bill

There are many pros and cons to a population control bill. Some argue that it is necessary in order to maintain the quality of life in our society, while others believe that it is an infringement on personal rights.

Those who support a population control bill typically argue that it is necessary in order to address the issue of overpopulation. They believe that our planet cannot sustain the current population growth rate, and that measures need to be taken in order to reduce the number of people being born. They also argue that a smaller population would lead to fewer resources being consumed, and would help to preserve our environment.

Opponents of a population control bill typically argue that it is a violation of human rights. They believe that every person has the right to have as many children as they want, and that government should not be involved in dictating family size. They also argue that overpopulation is not actually a problem, and that we have enough resources to support a much larger population.

Historical Examples of Population Control Bills

In the early 1800s, Malthusian ideas about population control began to be popularized in the West. The most well-known advocate of this theory was Thomas Robert Malthus, who argued that populations would eventually outstrip food supplies, leading to widespread famine and suffering.

In response to these concerns, a number of countries began to enact population control measures, including China’s one-child policy and India’s family planning program. While these programs have been successful in slowing down population growth, they have also been criticized for violating human rights and causing economic harm.

Some proponents of population control argue that it is necessary in order to prevent environmental catastrophe. Others believe that it is an ethical imperative, as overcrowding and resource scarcity can lead to great suffering. Still others believe that it is a prudent way to ensure long-term economic stability.

What do you think? Is population control a good or bad thing? Let us know in the comments!

The Effects on Society from Population Control Bills

There are many potential effects that population control bills could have on society. Some of these effects could be positive, while others could be negative.

One potential positive effect is that such bills could help to reduce the overall population of a given society. This could in turn lead to fewer people competing for resources, and potentially lead to a higher standard of living for everyone involved. Additionally, it could help to ease pressure on the environment, as there would be fewer people consuming natural resources.

However, there are also some potential negative effects that should be considered. For example, if population control measures are too extreme, it could lead to a decline in the birth rate, which could eventually lead to problems with sustaining the population in the long-term. Additionally, such measures could potentially unfairly target certain groups of people within a society (such as those from lower socio-economic backgrounds), leading to social unrest or conflict.

Overall, it is important to weigh up all of the potential effects that population control bills could have before deciding whether or not to support them.

Case Studies of Different Countries & Their Results

There are many case studies of different countries and their results with population control. Some countries, like China, have implemented strict measures to control their population growth. This has led to a decrease in the number of children born each year and a decrease in the population overall. Other countries, like India, have not implemented such strict measures and their population continues to grow rapidly.

There are pros and cons to both approaches. On the one hand, strict measures can lead to a decrease in the quality of life for citizens as they are forced to live in crowded conditions and may not be able to have children of their own. On the other hand, rapid population growth can lead to overpopulation and strain resources, making it difficult for people to live comfortably.

It is difficult to say which approach is better without knowing more about the specific circumstances of each country. However, it is clear that both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Conclusion & Summary

In conclusion, the Population Control Bill is a very controversial topic. There are many pros and cons to this bill. The main purpose of this bill is to help control the population in developing countries. However, there are many risks associated with this bill. It is important to carefully consider all of the risks and benefits before making a decision on whether or not to support this bill.

Manisha Dubey Jha is a skilled educational content writer with 5 years of experience. Specializing in essays and paragraphs, she’s dedicated to crafting engaging and informative content that enriches learning experiences.

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Issues with population control bill.

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Need for Population Control Policy

The Rajya Sabha has discussed a Private Member’s Bill on population regulation.

The Population Control Bill

• First introduced in 2019, it is a private member bill proposed by Rakesh Sinha.
• The purpose of the bill was to control the population growth of India.
• The proposed bill then was signed by 125 Members of Parliament (MP) and is yet to become an act of law.

It seeks to amend Article 47 by inserting article 47A to the Constitution of India. It proposes that-

• The State shall promote small family norms by offering incentives in taxes, employment, education etc. to its people who keep their family limited to two children
• The state shall withdraw every concession from and deprive such incentives to those not adhering to small family norm, to keep the growing population under control.

Key provisions

• Penalties: The 2019 bill talked about introducing penalties for couples not adhering to the two-child policy such as debarment from contesting in elections and ineligibility for government jobs.
• Two-child policy: The 2020 bill proposes to introduce a two-child policy per couple.
• Incentivizing adoption: It shall incentivize adoption through various measures such as educational benefits, taxation cuts, home loans, free healthcare, and better employment opportunities.
• Birth spacings: It also proposes to ensure healthy birth spacing through measures related to augmenting the availability, accessibility and affordability of quality reproductive health services.

Issues with penal provisions

• Alienation: If a family was penalized for more than two children, then the third child would develop a feeling of alienation that he is an unwanted child.
• Bar on Women: The biggest victim of such would be women, irrespective of religion. They would be debarred in political participation.
• Selective abortions: In India, the preference for male children may lead to a greater anti-female child sex selection because parents will only have “two attempts” to have babies.
• Violation of reproductive autonomy: To control and regulate the number of children a family can have is a gross violation of human rights, the right to self-determination and an individual’s reproductive autonomy.
• Violation of Individual Privacy: A right to procreation is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution but it comes under the ambit of Article 21, as discussed in Jasvir Singh vs State of Punjab.
• Remarriage issues: A divorced person who has two children with a prior partner cannot bear a child with their next spouse.

Why need such policy?

• India had a land availability of only 1.2 hectare per person, while the resources that get regenerated automatically was 0.43 only.
• We are an ecological debtor. The ecological footprint which we use and the gap between their regeneration is 187%.
• If this continued for 30 years, then resources would be exhausted and people would not be able to lead a dignified life.
• Some people see demographic dividend in the growing population but it was being used as cheap labour globally.

Way forward

• The population of India is seen as the biggest obstacle to its economic development.
• It is the fall guy for governments seeking to justify their incompetence.
• No legislation must be enacted unless its future impact and social effect are first completely realized.

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The Population Control Bill, 2021: Exploring newer perspectives

Nagabhushana, Prerana 1 ; Sarkar, Avir 2

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India

2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India

Address for correspondence: Dr. Avir Sarkar, House Number 12, Block F, NIT-3, Faridabad, Haryana - 121 001, India. E-mail: [email protected]

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Dear Editor,

As we observe World Population Day on July 11 th , the current population stands at roughly 7.9 billion in 2021, with India bagging second place at 1.39 billion.[ 1 ] The net growth rate stands at 1.1% or 83 million per year and the projected world population by 2050 is estimated to be 9.7 billion![ 1 ] These figures are alarming to us-the millennials, who grew up writing ominous essays on “population explosion” at school. Governments across the world, historically Romania to more recently China, have adopted population policies to control the rate of population growth to cater to their advantage-either economically or politically. Some of them are directly against reproductive rights- to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing, and timing of their children and to be able to do so without discrimination, coercion, and violence.[ 2 ]

If we look at the demographic profile of India, the current fertility rate is around 2.3, while the replacement fertility rate is 2.1, with Bihar (3.3), Uttar Pradesh (3.1), Madhya Pradesh (2.8), Jharkhand (2.6), and Chhattisgarh (2.5) in the lead.[ 3 ] As per predictions of the United Nations, the population of India is expected to supersede China by 2027.[ 1 ] An expanding population raises pressing concerns in terms of equitable resource allocation, access to basic necessities and healthcare, economic impact, and quality of life. More recently, the pandemic has driven home the need to eliminate the densely populated demographic profile that is inherent to metro cities of India. Growing demands of a humongous population have already left the health facilities drained and sapped. These dire projections have led many to consider population control measures.

The draft of the proposed population control bill by the Government of the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has hit the news, eliciting mixed reactions amongst the public. On one hand, this bill commendably stresses accessibility to contraception and safe abortion services as well as improvement of reproductive health. On the other hand, it proposes incentives to couples adopting the 2-child or 1-child norms, such as salary increments, attractive subsidies, many benefits to the single child, and free health facilities. It also disincentivizes those who violate the 2-child norm by cutting back on promotions or consideration for Government jobs/Benefit schemes and also barring them from contesting in local bodies.

Amongst all its benefits, what the UP Government has failed to consider is the effect of the pandemic on the population profile. If we analyze statistics, most COVID-related deaths were among the elderly in India, making the size of the workforce nearly constant.[ 4 ] On the other hand, the disability related to the disease has left the younger crowd less productive. Hence there is a need for a young, skilled workforce in the future. Unlike the previous pandemics, the so-called baby boom is not likely to happen since the impact is going to be prolonged; there is no role of replacement conception. Also, economic anxiety is likely to reduce fertility rates.[ 5 ] In concordance, China has seen a decline in growth rate post-pandemic and has jumped from 1-child norm to 3-child norm!

Moreover, the bill is being viewed as “coercion” and directly opposed to the reproductive rights of couples. It also pushes for permanent birth control rather than spacing-which is the real need of the hour. While its focus on reproductive health and access to services is noteworthy and encouragement to girl children laudable, its stubborn promotion of the 1-child norm can be seen as unfair. However, the Government has generously invited suggestions concerning the draft of the bill and has received many enthusiastic responses. This seems to be a democratic step in policy-making. On a closing note, having a draconian population control bill is unlikely to benefit the public it is designed to serve and in addition, backfire politically as well. One report estimates that around 2.7 million unintended pregnancies have occurred due to lack of access to contraception in low and middle-income countries during the pandemic![ 4 ] Accordingly, it would be apt to focus on educating the population on contraceptive measures and ensure safe access to reproductive health.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

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India must build awareness on population control

Recently, two Members of Parliament of the Bharatiya Janata Party introduced in the Lok Sabha a private members’ Bill aimed at population control in India.

Major Highlights 

• The Bill seeks to insert a new directive principle in Part IV of the Constitution enjoining the State to take all steps to control population growth by promoting small family norms and achieve a stable population. 
• The Bill also makes it a fundamental duty for citizens to adopt small family norms and work towards a stable population of the country.

The rationale behind the bill

• Population rise is the most significant reason for India’s slow rate of development, and the Bill argues for an immediate need for population control. 
• Rapid population growth will lead to problems and extreme poverty.
• Policies framed by various governments have not been able to control the population and t here is no law on population control.
•  A rising population limits the ability of the State to provide a better quality of life to its citizens since a large chunk of national income is spent on maintaining the existing facilities.
• There is a need for a law on population so that every Indian reaps more benefits from economic growth and deals with challenges posed by fast population growth.

the Discourse and  Debate around India’s rising population

• The debate and the discourse around India’s rising population are not recent, having begun since Independence. 
• India was among the first nations to address its population problem as early as 1951, raising awareness about the ills of overpopulation. 
•  In 1950, the TFR was at around 5.9%, and is now 2% (fifth round of the National Family Health Survey, or NFHS). 
• There was a steep decline after the 1970s, indicating an inversely proportional relationship between economic prosperity and the fertility rate.
• The entirety of this discourse around such a sensitive issue is often reduced to a petty religious issue, and, ultimately, the subject of development suffers.
• In 2022 Uttar Pradesh governmen t came up with the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation, and Welfare) Bill, 2021. 
• For instance, the Bill said that no government job would be offered to couples with more than two children.
•  However, there was no clarification about what would happen to a person who had a third child after being in a government job or if, for some reason, a person with two children remarried and had a third child.
• The Bill was seen to strengthen political polarisation and facilitate the politics of majority appeasement.

Conclusion and Suggestions 

• The one-child policy has proved to be disastrous, causing a demographic imbalance. 
• The population of China is aging faster than in any other modern country, owing to the policies of forced population control.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has countered the need for such a law by saying, “forced population control can have very dangerous consequences, it can create a gender imbalance”. 
• Any forced control method will impact the rate of aging.  

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Population Control Bill

According to the United Nations’ ‘World Population Prospects 2019’ study, India’s population would overtake China’s in less than a decade. The term “son meta preference” was used in the 2018 Economic Survey to describe a desire for a male kid, resulting in 21 million “unwanted females.” People have more than four children in order to have a male child, which is detrimental to the woman’s health as well as the family’s financial well-being. Even once they have fallen into poverty, the majority of them are more concerned with having a male child than with establishing a happy and healthy family. A substantial portion of India’s problems, such as poverty, undernourishment, corruption or improper waste management, and so forth, are linked to the country’s rapidly growing population. The population control issue is becoming more and more of a worry. This isn’t the first time our government has thought about it. The 79th Constitutional Amendment Bill advocated modifying the Directive Principles of State Policy (Article 47) to promote population limitation and the adoption of tiny private standards as a fundamental duty of every citizen (Article 51), however it was stuck in the legislative system at the time. India is the world’s second-most populous country, despite having a National Population Control Policy (NPCP) in effect since 2000. Anil Desai, a Shivsena MP, proposed a Constitutional Amendment in Article 368 A to promote family planning, that mentioned that now the state shall actively encourage small home guidelines or two-child legislation through customs duties, occupation, and other means, and that those who do not adopt this policy will be deprived. NITTI Aayog, India’s think tank, also conducted a meeting. Abhishek Manu Sanghavi, a party Member and leading advocate, will introduce a private member bill in the Rajya Sabha, entitled the Population Control Bill, 2020, to enforce a three different limit inside the nation. This bill provides benefits to those who obey the bill’s rules and regulations, but it also has certain disadvantages for those who do not follow the prescribed policy. The bill’s long title/preamble declares that its objective is to “create measures to regulate the inhabitants of the country, as well as subjects and incidents related thereto.” The bill also defines terms such as “appropriate Government,” “committee,” “Union Government employee,” “fund,” and “mandated,” among others. It further stipulates that this only applies to legally married couples. Couples that adhere to the two-child policy will benefit financially as a result of this bill. The government will provide incentives to a couple with only one child that gets sterilisation surgery on their own, as opposed to the single child preference. The law also calls for the Central Government to establish the Demographic Health Consolidation Foundation (Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh) to ensure that contraception is cheap. Sub-health centres have higher rates. Additionally, there are numerous financial benefits available to couples that live in poverty and wish to undergo sterilisation. Because of the financial implications of this policy, it requires President Ram Nath Kovind’s approval before being introduced in the Rajya Sabha, which he has given. If A and B have one kid within the first pregnancy and two during the second pregnancy, their acts are not considered to be in breach of the two-child rule. The two-child rule is not broken if A and his wife B have a child during the first gestation and three children during the second pregnancy. A and B’s activities will be in infringement of the two-child rule if they have two kids from their first pregnancy and two kids from their second pregnancy. The exceptions also include adoption (section 14). A and his wife B did get married, but they didn’t have any kids of their own, so they donated two. The two-child rule will not be violated by A and B’s conduct. A and his wife B didn’t have any biological children, but they adopted more than two. The two-child rule will be broken due to A and B’s actions. A and his wife B have a child together and have two more children through adoption. The behaviors of A and B will be in breach of the two-child rule. A and his wife B had two biological children and one adopted child from their marriage. The two-child rule will be broken due to A and B’s actions. A and B had two children after their marriage. The following exceptions apply to the disability of the very first or second child (section 15)

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• Fundamental Rights
• population control
• Population Control Bill
• ultra vires

Population control in India – a violation of fundamental rights or a necessary step

This article is written by Shruti Yadav , from Jagran Lakecity, Bhopal. This article talks about population control in India, its constitutionality and its drawbacks. Also, the article deals with the possi+ble alternative measures India can take to regulate the population.

Table of Contents

Introduction

According to statistics , India is currently the second most populated country. It is expected to topple China, the top-ranked, by 2027 . The total estimated population of India is 1.38 billion people, which is about 17% of the total world’s population. As per the last census conducted in 2011, the growing population can be advantageous to India with a proper structure as India possesses one of the youngest global populations with an average national age of approximately 29 years, while 41 per cent of our population is below 18 years of age. This implies that most Indians have a preponderance of their working years ahead of them. This population can add to nation-building and economy if provided with the right skills, education and employment. However, population increase or explosion has many downsides too. It can hinder the overall growth of a country. So let us further analyse whether population control is needed in India or not. 

Need for population control

People are means as well as ends of economic development. They are an asset to any country, but as we all know, anything in excess is harmful. So is the case with population. Population outburst in India has proved to be a significant hindrance to economic planning and development progress. Population control in India is a dire need of the time because of the following points:

Capital formation

One of the most severe effects of the rapidly increasing population is its impact on saving, investment and capital formation. The composition of the population in India hampers the increase in capital formation. A high birth rate and low expectancy of life mean an increase in the number of dependents in the total population. In India, 35 per cent of the population is constituted of people less than 14 years of age. They are unproductive consumers. Such individuals are a drag on the economic growth of the country. They are mainly responsible for the low rate of saving, low investment rate, and low rate of capital formation since they are not employed and do not receive remuneration to invest, save or partake in capital formation.

Per capita income

The large size of the population in India and its rapid rate of growth result in low per capita availability of capital. From 1950-51 to 1980-81, India’s national income increased at an average annual rate of 3.6 per cent per annum. However, per capita income had risen around one per cent. It is because population growth has increased by 2.5 per cent. This sluggish growth rate of per capita income has resulted from a high population growth rate despite high national income in specific years.

Unemployment

With the brisk increase in population, the most daunting responsibility for India is to provide employment not only to the increasing labour force every year but also to decrease the accumulation of the unemployed from the past years. The massive size of the population results in a large multitude of the labour force. However, due to a deficiency of capital resources, it becomes challenging to present lucrative employment to the entire working population. Disguised unemployment in rural areas and open unemployment in urban areas are the standard hallmarks of a developing country like India. With the growth in the labour force at an average annual rate of 2.4 pe r cent , there is only a slight possibility of reducing unemployment for years to come.

In the face of an ever-growing population, inequitable distribution of income and inequalities within the country broaden. The growing population is deepening poverty in India as there is a scarcity of resources which is also concentrated in the hands of a few. Also, people have to spend a large share of their resources for bringing up their dependents. 

Maternity welfare

In India, population explosion is the effect of a high birth rate. A high birth rate impacts the health and welfare of women. Recurrent pregnancy without an appropriate gap is perilous to the health of the mother and the child. This leads to a high death rate among women of procreative age due to early marriage. Hence to improve the welfare and stature of women in our society, we have to lessen the birth rate.

Environment

Population explosion results in environmental degradation. The growing population can lead to more pollution, the generation of more toxic waste and the destruction of the biosphere. Excessive deforestation and overgrazing by animals have led to land degeneration. A significant cause of biodiversity loss has been the depletion of vegetation to grow agriculture by the rapidly surging population. Industrialisation, urbanisation, increasing vehicular traffic have led to air pollution, and domestic sewage and industrial effluents have led to water pollution.

Scarcity of resources and services

The rapid rise in population puts a massive burden on infrastructures like health care, education, housing, water supply, sanitation, power, roads, and railways. Infant mortality is already relatively high. Malnourishment in children is widespread. Ample villages are devoid of any source of drinking water in India due to the scarcity of financial resources. India has not provided many essential services adequately due to a significant increase in population. India has the largest illiterate population in the world. There is mass illiteracy among women , especially in rural areas. The goal of the universalisation of education is far away. 

Food production and distribution have not been able to catch up with the increasing population. Hence, the costs of production have increased. Inflation is a significant consequence of overpopulation.

Standard of living

Rapid population growth is to be blamed for India’s low standard of living. Even the bare necessities of life are not available adequately since resource distribution has been a major issue.

Social problems

Population explosion leads to a rise of several social problems. It causes the migration of people from rural areas to urban areas, causing the creation of slum areas. People live in the most unhygienic circumstances. Unemployment and poverty lead to frustration and resentment among the literate youth. This leads to robbery, prostitution and crimes. The terrorist movements that we find today in numerous sections of the country exhibit frustration amidst unemployed professional youth . Overcrowding, traffic congestion, frequent accidents and pollution in large cities are the immediate result of overpopulation.

Population Regulation Bill, 2019

The Population Regulation Bill , 2019 introduced by Member of Parliament Shri Rakesh Sinha in the Rajya Sabha on July 12, 2019, calls for penal action against people with more than two living children, including debarment from being an elected representative, dismissal of financial benefits and decrease in benefits under the public distribution system.

The bill also proposes that government employees should give an undertaking that they will not conceive more than two children.

There are limited ecological and economic resources at hand. Therefore, the justification of the bill held that it is imperative and critical that the provision of necessities of human life, including affordable food, safe drinking water, adequate housing, access to quality education, economic/livelihood opportunities, power/electricity for domestic consumption, and an unharmed living is accessible to all citizens.

The draft bill then insists that it is essential to control and uphold the state’s population to encourage sustainable development with more equitable distribution.

The criticism of the bill states that it will widen the gap between the poor and the rich. The poor will suffer if benefits under public distribution schemes or other government-funded schemes are taken away from them. Health care facilities and finance for contraceptives are also not available to the lower strata group. Also, without proper education and knowledge, the poor do not understand the importance of small families and further procreation as it implicates more financial burden on them.

Will a population control bill be under the ambit of fundamental rights or ultra vires

A few years back, the Prime Minister expressed concern over the prospect of a ‘population explosion’ in India in his address to the nation on Independence Day and said that keeping small families was patriotic. It has since sparked a keen interest and debate on population control policies. The two-child policy has been presented in the Parliament over 35 times since 1947. Key points of the debate on the population control bill are as follows:

• Procreation, reproduction and family planning are sensitive and private facets of every citizen’s life. The rights and liberties in these aspects must be assiduously protected from groundless invasion.
• Nevertheless, the government needs to implement population control policies to solve many issues such as poverty and the lack of satisfactory social and health services that torment India presently. However, a law for this purpose would always be questioned of its constitutionality.
• A policy to control and monitor the number of children a family is allowed to have is a crass infringement of human rights and the right to a citizen’s reproductive autonomy. A right to reproduction is not explicitly written in the Constitution , but It falls under the purview of Article 21 (right to life and right to personal liberty). This kind of policy would strip individuals of their fundamental right to life, personal liberty and personal autonomy which includes reproductive rights, which involves making sexual, intimate, private and reproductive choices.
• Indeed, the government has already found valid reasons to intervene in various spheres pertaining to procreation, family, personal, private and sexual life. Polygamy is against the law, adultery was just recently decriminalized, there is a minimum age requirement for marriage, and the state decides upon what grounds couples may legally divorce. Consequently, it is inexact to say that the government has not previously intervened in private matters and the sexual conduct of its citizens. It is just that the aim is different when it comes to population control.
• There is a requirement for alternative laws that may confront constitutional scrutiny. For population control legislation to work, it would require the fabrication of innovative and compelling grounds that affect the ability of people to think a certain way without encroaching upon the rights and the Constitution. This will have to be conducted by united efforts to propagate contraceptives and family planning awareness.
• Decisions regarding procreation and the size of a family are very personal choices and the privacy of citizens must be maintained. Therefore, stringent population laws are against the notion of fundamental rights and another approach is required to curb population. Health awareness and financial burdens of a large family must be propagated to all and especially to the poor and the less fortunate. 

Alternative measures to control the population in India

A population control policy is not only a coarse violation of fundamental human rights; most of its bearing will be on the people at the bottom-most level of socio-economic strata. It could have devastating, long-term, irreversible outcomes. In China , the population control policy failed. There needs to be a shift in standards that equip and empower the country’s youth and expand quality procreative health assistance. India must invest in sustainable methods that shield the rights and matters of its citizens with non-coercive family planning policies as the core. Access to family planning knowledge, adequate health care systems and counselling sessions require attention. Overpopulation is a deeply rooted social issue. Efforts should be made to eradicate it from its root. Steps taken can be:

Legal marriage age

As fertility depends on the age of marriage, the legal age to marry should be increased. In India, the legal age of marriage for men is 21, and for women, 18. Marriage at a young age devoids people of knowledge regarding family planning and sensitization towards the issue of population. A task force constituted last year by the Narendra Modi government to examine its proposal of increasing the age of marriage for women has submitted its report, recommending an increase in the age from 18 to 21. The task force consisted of secretaries of the Health and Family Welfare , Women & Child Development , Ministry of Education , and the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice . Other members included Najma Akhtar, Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia ; Vasudha Kamath, former Vice-Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai; and Gujarat-based gynaecologist Dr Dipti Shah.

Health care system

The problem with developing countries like ours is the mediocre health service system. There is also a vast urban and rural divide. Rural areas have hardly any adequate health services, and therefore infant mortality rate is high. This is also why people prefer to have several children in rural areas.

Standard of women

It is also vital that we raise the standard of women in our country. If they are educated, made aware of the importance of their health and are not seen as objects to bear and rear children, population growth would surely decrease. Women need to grow socially and economically for that to happen. 

Illiteracy also plays a role in a population explosion. Literate people prefer to have small families, are aware of contraceptive methods and realize the consequences of a large family.

Contraceptives

Contraceptive methods should be made economical. Stigma related to it must be uprooted. People should also be made aware of contraceptive measures and their importance.

Spreading awareness

The benefits of family planning should be propagated through mass media. The population is also a cause for illiteracy, illnesses, and malnutrition and its adverse effects need to be preached to the general populace to develop their reasoning and understanding.

Population control during an emergency – violation of human rights

There has been much debate on population control in India, and many bills were proposed on the same. The lack of proper implementation and hesitance of India towards a population control law is due to a sort of post-trauma trigger of the population control policy during the emergency. Since then, population control policies in India have always been perceived with a negative connotation. During the emergency period of 1975, the Indira Gandhi led government began a gruesome campaign to sterilize men for population control. Laws for compulsory sterilization of men were against the notions of democracy. More often than not, it was done without the consent of the individual. People were coerced and dragged by policemen and government officials to surgery. Pressure on people was formed using not only force but manipulative methods. The government propagated that promotion and payments to employees would not be provided until they complied with the sterilization policy . Free medical treatment in hospitals was also stopped until a sterilization certificate was presented. Unfortunately, poor and illiterate people were picked up from railway stations or bus stops by government officials,  completely negligent of their age or marital status. 

A staggering 6.2 million men were sterilized in one year. India comes with its sordid history of state-sponsored population control methods. The poor and marginalized sections of the country mostly bore the brunt of it. There are ripple effects of those mass sterilizations seen even now. It is why India is always apprehensive of rigid population control policies. Therefore, we can conclude that the population control drive during the emergency was a grave violation of human rights.

Countries that have population control laws

Population control in the people’s republic of china, one-child policy.

China has the largest population on earth . Fearing that overpopulation would hinder their economic development, the Chinese government in 1979 implemented a one child per family policy . Per the policy, pregnant couples were required to file for a family planning service certificate. Then the government issued a birth permit through a complex procedure, making the task of having a baby more difficult. The government treated the applicant’s mother and father with intense scrutiny. The Chinese government uses an identification number to keep track of the wombs in China. If parents did not acquire the certificate before the child’s birth, the hospital would not circulate a birth certificate, and thus, there would be no legal document or record of the child’s birth. These methods discourage people in China from having more children. The Chinese government deems reproduction as a privilege it awards only upon the citizen’s accomplishment of their duties towards the state. Once a couple has been granted the right to have a child, they must use contraception to block further pregnancies. Because China’s society has deeply inherent patriarchal customs, the burden for contraception falls primarily on the woman. Officials typically granted certain types of contraception, namely intrauterine devices (IUDs) and tubal ligation. These methods are easily checked, lasting, and offer bureaucratic expediency. Ordinances urged women with one child to use IUDs and those with two children to undergo tubal ligation.

Two child policy

Then in 2016 , China eradicated its decades-long one-child policy to combat an ageing society and narrowing workforce. Espoused couples could have two children and no longer had to appeal for a family planning service certificate. While the relaxation did result in some improvement in the proportion of young people in the country, the policy change was deemed insufficient in averting an impending demographic crisis.

Three child policy

A shrinking working-age population and a growing retired population would hamper China’s economic growth and strain social services. The one-child policy also led to selective sex-based abortions, causing a sex imbalance to form over time. Therefore from May 2021 , couples in China will be allowed to have up to three children, as policymakers seek to address the country’s long-term demographic imbalances.

Population control in Indonesia

Indonesia has one of the most robust and most thriving national family planning initiatives in the world. With the aid of Muslim leaders, the country doubled its contraceptive ubiquity rate to nearly 60 per cent between 1976 and 2002. It halved its fertility rate from 5.6 to 2.6 children per woman. This unquestionably helped lay the foundation for Indonesia’s rapid and effective annual economic growth of at least 5 per cent since 1980. Among other things, the government authorized to:

• Strengthen the program at district levels to sustain local access to family planning.
• Render family planning services and supplies free of charge as part of the country’s Universal Health Coverage Program started in January 2014.
• Boost health worker training efforts, particularly around long-acting reversible processes.
• Refine 23,500 family planning clinics by the end of the year.
• A much more substantial budget supports these endeavours. This outreach will be joined with the “Right Time, Right Method, My Choice ” mass media and social media campaign, which intends to reach 2.9 million women of conceptive age in the target areas through radio, TV, print and online outlets. The government is also optimizing smartphone apps to reduce obstacles to obtaining reliable and timely family planning knowledge, including information on health centres and providers.

The ever-growing population is a severe issue at hand which needs to be resolved. Coercion and manipulation of people to keep the family size bare minimum are repugnant and a breach of fundamental human rights. High birth rates create large numbers of children relative to the number of working adults, savings that might otherwise be invested in the country’s infrastructure and development instead must be diverted to meeting the immediate food, health care, housing and education needs of growing numbers of children and adolescents. This prevents countries and families from making the longer-term investments needed to help lift them out of poverty. India needs sensitized ways of population control like awareness on family planning, contraceptives, awareness on health adversities due to less gap between children and economic and social pressures of a large family. Essential means like education and health facilities also need to be provided adequately for the population to decrease. Population control which promotes the advantages of small families and spreads awareness of the ill-effects of large families so that people choose to have only one or two children is required to control the population without infringing people’s rights. Although the high court declared population control laws as unconstitutional and against people’s rights, a plea has been filed and trial is ongoing in the Supreme court on the basis that the high court failed to appreciate that the right to clean air, the right to drinking water, the right to health, the right to peaceful sleep, the right to shelter, the right to livelihood and the right to education guaranteed under Articles 21 and 21A of the Constitution could not be secured to all citizens without controlling the population explosion.

• https://borgenproject.org/poverty-and-overpopulation/
• https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/india-population/
• https://indiagreensparty.org/2020/06/15/measures-to-control-population-in-india/
• https://thewire.in/rights/india-population-control-policy
• https://www.sociologydiscussion.com/demography/population-growth/9-major-disadvantages-of-population-growth/3166
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30040790
• https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/after-assam-up-gears-up-for-two-child-policy-law-commission-drafting-population-bill.html
• https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/09/30/family-planning-indonesia-looks-beyond-population-control.html

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The population control bill, 2021: exploring newer perspectives

International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology

As we observe the World Population Day on 11th July, the current population stands at roughly 7.9 billion in 2021, with India bagging the second place at 1.39 billion. The net growth rate stands at 1.1% or 83 million per year and the projected world population by 2050 is estimated to be 9.7 billion. These figures are alarming to us-the millennials, who grew up writing ominous essays on ‘population explosion’ at school. Governments across the world, historically Romania to more recently China, have adopted population policies to control the rate of population growth to cater to their advantage-either economically or politically. Some of them directly against reproductive rights- to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to be able to do so without discrimination, coercion and violence.

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Population issues and population policies have evolved considerably between the 20th and the 21st centuries. In the 1970s, most countries confronted rapid population growth, and this situation was particularly severe in Asia. Today, on the contrary, more than half of the world population is experiencing low fertility and population aging, and several countries with very low fertility are facing the prospect of depopulation. Only one region, i.e., sub-Saharan Africa, still experiences high fertility levels. Similarly, the discussions about whether and how to intervene on population trends have also evolved over the past 70 years. Demographically focused approaches to family planning provision were dominant views in the second half of the 20th century. However, since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994, international population policy paradigms have been reframed to stress the freedom of couples and the reproductive rights of individuals....

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The book is a gust of fresh wind within the crowd of demographic literature. The authors successfully took a rather niche topic of contraceptive use and expanded the scope to incorporate an interdisciplinary approach by fusing the politics of family planning to the choice of contraceptives, at the level of a continent. The book comes at a crucial moment when, perhaps for the first time since 1965 Belgrade conference, the world is contemplating the necessity for population control.1 It is this style of historical narrative to gaze into the legacy of Asian family-planning programmes that makes this book such a captivating read. Contrary to the popular discourse, population numbers have not stopped being a challenge to the policy-makers. Even as the two giants, India and China, approach replacement level and much of the former USSR is experiencing a sustained negative growth, the world population continues to grow at an alarming rate.2 With improving standards of living and per-capita ...

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The ethics issue: Should we impose population controls?

Future generations risk inheriting an overcrowded, suffocating planet. Taking action may mean what was taboo is now common sense

By Daniel Cossins

5 July 2017

Ian Hooton/SPL/Getty

Look after future generations vs Realise human potential

Fears that we are too many are nothing new. As long ago as 1798, the English writer Thomas Malthus warned that a growing population would eat its way through the planet’s finite resources, condemning millions to die of starvation .

Read more: The ethics issue – The 10 biggest moral dilemmas in science

Science has given us the power to design life, reshape the planet and colonise other worlds. but should we new scientist grapples with the big ethical questions.

We haven’t exhausted our supplies quite yet, but seven billion people later our planet’s ability to support us all comfortably does appear to be under threat. If we all lived like affluent Americans, say, resource consumption and carbon emissions would be at unsustainable levels. Given the clear and present dangers posed by climate change, how can we look after future generations without keeping half of the world’s population in poverty?

For Travis Rieder, a bioethicist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the answer is reducing birth rates – and not in the places you might expect. When it comes to climate change, says Rieder, “my American kid is way more problematic than the many children a family might have in poor, high-birth-rate countries”. And should the worst consequences of climate change come to pass, it will be the poorest that suffer most severely. So let’s assume that the West is incapable of slashing carbon emissions or finding a technological silver bullet (see “ The ethics issue: Should we geoengineer the planet? “). In this case, we are obliged to explore all options, including the taboo subject of population control. “It’s the…

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Analysis on Population Control Bill, 2020

     ANALYSIS OF POPULATION CONTROL BILL,2020

India’s population is going to overtake that of China in no more than a decade according to the report released by the UN- ‘world population prospects 2019’. The economic survey held in 2018 stated the term ‘son meta preference’ which means having the desire of a male child which consequently resulted in 21 million “unwanted girls”. In a desire for a male child, people have more than  4 children, which not only affect the health of the women by creating a burden on her but also the financial health of the family. Even after being poor most of them just care for a male child rather than looking for a healthy and prosperous family. The ever-increasing rate of population in India is the root of most of the problems like poverty, starvation, and malnutrition, exploitation or overuse of natural resources, etc. The need for the hour is to control the population and to solve this problem, a private member bill is to be introduced in Rajya sabha i.e. Population control Bill,2020.

Population Control Bill,2020

Shiv Sena Rajyasabha MP Anil Desai in February 2020 moved a private member’s bill proposing incentives to promotes a two-child norm. Desai has proposed that constitution be amended to introduce a new provision incentivizing those adhering to a two-child. The amendment to article 47A was proposed by this bill, as follows: “the state shall promote small family norms by offering incentives in taxes, employment, education, etc to its people who keep their family limited to two children and shall withdraw every concession from and deprive such incentives to those not adhering to the small family norm, to keep the growing population under control.”

Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi are planning to introduce legislation to foster a two-child policy for the country (population control bill,2020). Singhvi had initially announced his plan to introduce the population control bill during 2019’s winter session of parliament. The bill is now going to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha during the current session.

Key Features:

• The bill states its objective in long title/preamble as “to provide for measures to control the population in the country and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.” The bill provides for the definition of “appropriate Government”, “committee”, an employee of the union government”, “fund”, “prescribed”. The bill states that it applies only to a married couple.
• Section 5 provides for setting up districts level monitoring committee to be known as district population stabilization committee in hundred districts with the highest recorded population growth rates to fulfill the purpose of this act, by appropriate government defined in the Act. It further states that the committee shall consist of (a) the Chief Medical officer of the district; (b) the district collector; and (c) one representative from each panchayat Samiti in the district. The responsibility of the committee is to take steps to encourage the use of contraceptives and control the population growth rate in their concerned district.
• Section 6 of the bill provides for benefits to a couple who have only one child, voluntarily undergo sterilization/operation by the appropriate government which includes a reference to such child for selection in a government job and such other benefits.
• Section 7 of the bill states that if both husband and wife in case of a married couple who are living below the poverty line, and having only one child, voluntarily undergo sterilization/operation, such couple in addition to benefits of section 6, shall be eligible for payment from the central government of sixty thousand rupees if the single child is a boy or one lakh rupee if the single child is a girl,
• Section 8 of the bill states that both the husband and wife in the case of a married couple having more than two children, shall be debarred from contesting in Lok sabha, state legislature, and panchayat election; getting elected to Rajya Sabha, the state legislature, and similar elective bodies; getting promotion in government services; applying to ‘Group A’ jobs under the central and state government; receiving any kind of government subsidy, in case the married couple falls in the above poverty line category.
• Section 9 states that the appropriate government shall introduce a compulsory subject relating to population control in all senior secondary schools in states where the average fertility rate is more than the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. Section 10 made provision for the constitution of the national population stabilization fund by the central government. The money collected under the fund shall be redistributed to the states and union territories that have implemented reforms to control the population and have been able to significantly reduce their population growth rate, in such manner as may be prescribed.
• Section 12 of the act provides provision for central government employees. It states that all employees of the central government shall submit an undertaking in writing to the respective appointing authority after one year of commencement of this Act that they shall not procreate more than two children, with the proviso that the employees who already have more than two children at the commencement of the Act shall not procreate any more children.
• Section 13 provides that the central government when recruiting employees shall give preference to candidates having two or less than two living children. Section 14 provides for power to make rules and section 15 provides for power to override laws.

The advantage of introducing and taking into the action of this bill is not only to the nation worldwide but to the individuals as well.  It could be referred from above that this bill brings a lot of incentives to the couples be it below the poverty line or the above poverty ones.

• Educational benefits: if a family has two or less than two children then both of them can get a good quality education. When there are more children then due to poor financial conditions only one or two of them can get education barely. But under this bill couples adhering to the rules will gets benefits such as the admission of their children in good school by the government.
• Less exploitation of resources: if the population growth will be in control it will lead to lower demand for resources which will consequently result in the proper utilization of natural resources.
• Other benefits: there will be many more benefits such as tax cuts, free health care, various government subsidies, and all this will help in eradicating most of the problems like poverty. Hence, population control is the need of the hour and will contribute to the development of the country

The population control policy is applied to everyone irrespective of religion, race, caste, and color. It just focuses on stabilizing the growth rate of the population. It has provided many incentives including free healthcare, tax cuts, to the couples following the two-child policy, and also the ones having a single child have other benefits as well.

These all contribute to the benefits of the nation and natural resources. But as nothing serves everyone. Similarly, the introduction of this population control bill is not going to serve everyone and this might get worse in lower groups resulting in the burden over women re abandonment among all the people about the perks and disadvantages of the bill one will have.

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The Population Control Bill in India

04 Nov 2023

Pranay aggarwal.

The Population Control Bill in India has been a subject of considerable debate and discussion within the realm of sociological inquiry. Aspiring civil servants with a sociology optional must delve into this contentious issue, employing sociological terminologies, jargons, theories, and concepts to critically analyze the proposed legislation. This article aims to provide a comprehensive sociological examination of the Population Control Bill in India, drawing upon the viewpoints of Indian and Western sociologists, relevant sociological works, statistical data, and sociological concepts to shed light on the social, cultural, and political dimensions surrounding this proposed legislation.

Understanding Population Control:

Population control is a crucial area of study within sociology, encompassing policies and measures aimed at managing population growth. It involves exploring factors such as fertility rates, mortality rates, migration patterns, socio-cultural norms, and governmental interventions. The Population Control Bill in India, if enacted, would have far-reaching implications for the nation's demographics and societal dynamics.

Perspectives of Indian Sociologists:

Indian sociologists have offered valuable insights into the population dynamics and policies in India. Scholars such as Ashish Bose, M. S. A. Rao , and A. R. Desai have examined the social, economic, and political aspects of population control. Bose's work, "India's Population: Aspects of Quality and Control" , delves into the challenges and strategies for population control in India, providing a nuanced understanding of the topic. Rao's research focuses on the relationship between population growth and socio-economic development, emphasizing the role of social policies and economic opportunities. Desai's seminal work, "Social Background of Indian Nationalism" , offers insights into the historical and social factors shaping population dynamics in India.

Western Sociologists' Perspectives:

Western sociologists have also contributed significantly to the study of population control and its sociological implications. Scholars such as Thomas Malthus , Paul Ehrlich, and Anthony Giddens have explored various aspects of population control. Malthus's work, "An Essay on the Principle of Population" , highlights the potential challenges of population growth, emphasizing the potential for overpopulation to outpace resources and create social and economic crises. Ehrlich's work, "The Population Bomb" , discusses the consequences of unchecked population growth and advocates for population control measures. Giddens's theory of "structuration" examines the interplay between social structures and individual agency, providing a framework to understand population control as a social process.

The Population Control Bill in India:

The proposed Population Control Bill in India seeks to address the challenges posed by population growth through legislative measures. It emphasizes controlling population growth by promoting family planning, providing access to contraceptives, and implementing incentives and disincentives for family size. The bill aims to regulate population growth within defined limits, with a focus on socio-economic development, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

Critiques and Debates:

The Population Control Bill in India has sparked intense debates within sociological and policy circles. Critics argue that such legislation could lead to coercive measures, infringe upon reproductive rights, and disproportionately impact marginalized communities. They highlight the importance of addressing socio-economic inequalities, promoting gender equality, and ensuring access to healthcare and education as key factors influencing population dynamics. Supporters argue that population control measures are necessary for sustainable development, resource allocation, and improved quality of life.

Population Control and Social Justice:

A sociological analysis of population control must consider its implications for social justice and equity. Scholars like Amartya Sen emphasize that population control measures should not neglect the structural determinants of population growth, such as poverty, gender inequality, and lack of access to basic services. Approaching population control through a lens of social justice ensures that policies address root causes rather than resorting to coercive measures.

Conclusion:

The Population Control Bill in India represents a complex sociological issue with wide-ranging implications. By examining it through a sociological lens, incorporating insights from Indian and Western sociologists, considering socio-cultural factors, and analyzing the potential impact on social justice, we can gain a deeper understanding of the nuances surrounding population control. This understanding can inform policy-making processes, ensuring that population control measures are grounded in sociological research, promote social welfare, and foster sustainable development in India.

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Essay on Population Control

Students are often asked to write an essay on Population Control in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Population Control

Understanding population control.

Population control refers to the measures taken by governments or other groups to manage the size of a human population. This is often done to prevent overpopulation, which can strain resources and harm the environment.

The Need for Population Control

Overpopulation can lead to scarcity of resources like food, water, and shelter. It can also increase pollution and contribute to global warming. Therefore, controlling population growth is crucial for sustainable living.

Methods of Population Control

Methods include education about family planning, providing access to contraception, and implementing policies that limit family size. These measures can help achieve a balanced population.

250 Words Essay on Population Control

Introduction.

Population control refers to the practice of intentionally managing the number of inhabitants in a region to mitigate social and environmental issues. Rapid population growth can strain resources, intensify poverty, and exacerbate environmental degradation.

The Necessity of Population Control

Population control can be achieved through various strategies. Family planning and education, particularly for women, are effective methods. They empower individuals with knowledge about reproductive health and birth control, enabling them to make informed choices. Government policies can also play a significant role, such as providing incentives for smaller families or implementing laws to limit family size.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

While population control is necessary, it raises ethical questions. It’s imperative that any measures respect individual rights and freedoms. Forced sterilizations or coercive population control policies infringe upon human rights and should be avoided.

In conclusion, population control is a complex yet necessary endeavor. It requires a careful balance of education, policy implementation, and respect for individual rights. By managing population growth, we can work towards a sustainable future where resources are used efficiently, and the environment is preserved.

500 Words Essay on Population Control

Population control refers to the strategies employed by governments and organizations to manage the size of human populations. This is often necessary to prevent overpopulation, which can strain resources and lead to socio-economic problems. However, population control is a complex issue with ethical, political, and environmental implications.

Overpopulation is a significant global concern. It puts immense pressure on natural resources, exacerbating environmental degradation and climate change. With the current rate of population growth, the demand for resources like food, water, and energy is rapidly outpacing supply. This imbalance can lead to resource depletion, environmental pollution, and an increase in diseases due to overcrowding.

Population control strategies vary based on cultural, political, and economic contexts. One common method is family planning, which includes contraceptive use, sterilization, and abortion services. Governments often promote family planning through public awareness campaigns and by providing access to contraception.

Another approach is implementing policies that incentivize smaller families. These can include tax benefits, priority in public services, and educational scholarships for families with fewer children.

Challenges in Population Control

Second, there are gender issues. In some societies, women bear the brunt of population control measures, often facing coercion into sterilization or contraception use.

Third, there are socio-cultural barriers. In many cultures, large families are valued, and attempts to limit family size can be met with resistance.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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The Gendered Impact of Uttar Pradesh’s Population Control Bill

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Improving women’s access to family planning and education would be a better way to control population growth.

In this January 20, 1969, file photo, contraceptives are delivered to women by an elephant in Ratangarh village, India, as part of the “Red Triangle” campaign. Writing in Hindi reads: “My job is to spread happiness among the people…A small family is a happy family. Not more than two or three children.”

Proposed legislation to control the population of India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh, is expected to impact women disproportionately.

Unveiling a new population policy for 2021-2030 recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the aim of the policy is to bring down the state’s birth rate to 2.1 per thousand population by 2026 and to 1.9 by 2030. Uttar Pradesh’s current fertility rate is 2.7 per thousand population.

The state is India’s most populous state with almost 200 million people – 16.5 percent of the country’s population.

A few days earlier prior to the unveiling of the new population policy, a draft population control bill was released in the public domain. The bill does two things : one, it incentivizes employees and their spouses to pursue sterilization after having two children with promotion, increments, and education for children; and two, it bars those with more than two children from applying for government jobs, seeking promotions, benefiting from government subsidies, and contesting for local body elections.

This policy is not just punitive but more importantly, it is gender-blind; it could disproportionately impact women, especially poor and marginalized women.

Uttar Pradesh’s women bear the burden of family planning. According to the National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS-4), 17.3 percent of women in Uttar Pradesh use female sterilization as their family planning method, in comparison to just 0.1 percent of male sterilizations. Female sterilizations are more unsafe and irreversible in comparison to male sterilization or use of contraceptives.

By incentivizing sterilizations as part of the Population Control Bill, the Uttar Pradesh government is putting further onus on women for family planning. It also risks reversing the trend of increasing use of safer methods like condom use. Condoms are the second most popular method for family planning in Uttar Pradesh and twice as prevalent as the national average for India , according to the NFHS-4.

The incentivization of sterilization has come in for criticism from women’s rights organizations, health networks, and academics. “The Bill is geared to control women’s fertility rather than improving women’s health and promoting women’s reproductive rights. The proposed Bill should be deemed unconstitutional since it violates the right to equality,” they have written in a memorandum to the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.

They added that the population control bill could result in a spike in abandonment of wives and children, particularly daughters, given the wide gap in abortion services. Cases of women who are abandoned, divorced, or killed for giving birth to a daughter, in a state like Uttar Pradesh where son preference remains high, are not hard to find.

A study by bureaucrat Nirmala Buch found that in five Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, and Rajasthan) where the two-child qualification was implemented in local bodies, sex-selective and unsafe abortions increased , families gave up children for adoption, and men divorced or deserted their spouses to avoid disqualification.

This impact of the two-child norm was also hierarchical, with powerful castes and classes able to circumvent these provisions, while women, particularly those from marginalized castes and classes, were left worse off. Socially backward classes formed 80 percent of the people disqualified from running for local office and nearly half were from lower income brackets.

A study finds that the highest deficits in female births from 2017 to 2030 will occur in Uttar Pradesh, with 2 million missing female births – 28.5 percent of the total female birth deficit during 2017-2030 for the entire country. Introduction of a two-child policy will only exacerbate the problem of sex-selective abortions and female feticide, as evidenced in this study and in the case of China, which saw a rapid increase of female infanticide after the introduction of its one-child policy .

The 2011 Census finds that India already has highly skewed sex ratios with the child sex ratio falling over the decade, from 927 to 919 females for every 1000 males. The proposed policy could skew it further especially in states like Uttar Pradesh where the latest child sex ratio is 902 females for every 1000 males .

Uttar Pradesh is the second Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state to introduce such a population control measure. Last month, Assam announced plans for a policy that would disqualify families with over two children from government benefits.

Like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat will be facing crucial assembly elections next year. Its government too has said that it is studying the bill proposed by the Uttar Pradesh government and is weighing its pros and cons . A BJP parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh, Ravi Kishen, also plans to introduce a similar population control bill in the current Monsoon session of the Parliament.

While fertility rates in Uttar Pradesh have been higher than the national average, they have been falling consistently for the past few years; it has nearly halved from 4.8 percent in 1992-1993 to 2.7 percent in 2015-2016, according to the National Family Health Surveys, raising questions regarding the timing of this harsh policy.

There is no denying that fertility decline in a high population state like Uttar Pradesh is essential for India to meet its population control targets. But this does not have to disproportionately impact women.

Recently, Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that improving women’s education is a better measure for reducing the fertility rate then population control laws. “When women become more educated and aware, population growth will be reduced,” said Kumar. Other Indian states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh have seen reduction in fertility rates by improving literacy .

Uttar Pradesh also has low family planning coverage compared to the rest of the country. According to one estimate, the state accounts for 25 percent of the total unmet need for family planning in all of India . In 2015-16, one in every six married women in Uttar Pradesh could not access contraception and risked unintended pregnancy. Enhancing access to family planning could help bring down the state’s fertility rate.

More than the proposed punitive population control legislation, improving access to family planning and education for Uttar Pradesh’s women could better help Chief Minister Adityanath “bring the path of happiness and prosperity in the life of every citizen.”

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Brief essay on population control (385 words).

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Control over growth of population in India is an essential condition for the country’s rapid economic development!

Next to China, India is the second largest populated country in the world. In 2001, India became the second country after China to cross the one billion mark. The current population is around 1.15 billion. India occupies only 2.4% of the world’s land area but it supports over 15% of the world’s population.

Image Courtesy : preludetoamidlifecrisis.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/birth-control-condoms1.jpg

About 70% of the Indian population lives in more than 550,000 villages. The balance stays in more than 200 towns and cities. India is expected to surpass China in total population by 2030 (five years earlier than previously estimated). As per the current demographic statistics, India’s population is slated to rise by almost 350 million over the next quarter century, twice as fast as China, United States and Western Europe combined.

As the population rises, so will poverty. Being a developing country, the increasing growth rate is dragging India into a vicious cycle of population and poverty, which leads to a development trap. This further increases other problems like illiteracy, unemployment and inflation. Eradication of poverty is a very long-term goal in India.

But poverty alleviation is expected to make better progress in the next fifty years than it did in the past. An increasing stress on education, the increasing empowerment of women and the economically weaker sections of society, and the reservation of seats in government jobs are all expected to contribute to the easing of poverty in India.

India’s capital formation is also less due to lack of resources, which gives rise to higher prices which in turn leads to less savings. Less capital formation is the main reason for the lack of investment in every sector of economy. Due to over population, Indian import rises leading to unbalance in balance of payment account.

Over population is a hindrance in the path of India’s economic development. Family planning awareness should be sown among the younger generations. Use of contraceptives should be encouraged. Smaller families contribute to the well being of the individual as well as to India’s economy. India’s vast population puts a lot of stress on the economic infrastructure. It is high time that we Indians took measures to control this escalating population for the progress of our economy, our country.

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