AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government will first study new laws introduced by other states on population control before taking any final decision in the matter, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Tuesday.
Patel's statement has come at a time when the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a draft of the population control bill that states that people with more than two children will be debarred from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs or receiving any kind of subsidy.
Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, the deputy chief minister said, "Different states are bringing in new laws for population control. The Gujarat government will first study these laws and take an appropriate decision if it is required."
The BJP leader further said that the state government has already implemented a law that bars people with more than two children from contesting local body polls, such as taluka panchayat, district panchayat, municipalities and municipal corporation.
"In Gujarat, people with more than two children cannot contest local body polls. This shows that we have implemented this idea (of population control) many years ago. Moreover, we also run awareness campaigns to convince people to opt for family planning," Patel said.