NEW DELHI: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya Friday said the government could not force or make it compulsory for people to follow the two-child norm to control the population in the country.
He was replying in the Rajya Sabha on a discussion on a Private Member’s Bill to regulate the population.
The minister said the best way is to create awareness among the general population about family planning.
The Population Regulation Bill was moved by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Rakesh Sinha in 2019, which pitches for a mandatory two-child norm to stabilise the country’s population.
“We cannot force or make it compulsory for people to follow the two-child norm,” he said, adding that it is better to educate people to take measures on having a small family and asked Sinha to take back the bill.
He said the country came out with a National Population Policy in 1952, and there have been in the past slogans like “hum do hamare do.”
He said several family planning campaigns had been launched in this regard.
Apart from the government, the ASHA workers and many NGOs are also creating awareness among people about taking family planning measures.
He said the mass media campaigns have been successful in this regard and that’s why the government’s initiatives were able to stablise population.
The minister also quoted the findings of the National Family Health Survey-5, which revealed that India’s total fertility rate declined from 2.2 to 2.0. At the same time, the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased from 54 percent to 67 percent.
The Bill seeks to stabilise the country’s burgeoning population for effective distribution and management of resources.
It also advocated disqualification of people violating the two-child norm from being chosen as an MP, MLA, or a member of anybody of the local self-government under the proposed Act.