Assam government effects 2-child policy

GUWAHATI: The Assam government will bar those having more than two children from being elected or nominated to panchayat and other local bodies' elections or government jobs. This was part of the resolution on the state government's new population policy, which was passed by the assembly on Friday after a marathon debate.
Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while moving the resolution, said service rules will soon be changed to give effect to the two-child policy for state government employees.
The policy, which seeks to arrest Assam's population growth through socio-economic and health interventions, also states that it would also propose the Centre to include the two-child norm as a yardstick for anybody wanting to contest assembly elections. "In case any MLA from the state flouts the family planning norms, i.e. MLAs having more than two children, may be disqualified from hisher membership and be debarred from contesting polls," it stated. The policy also proposed barring persons from government jobs if they violated the legal age of marriage.
Pointing out that Assam's population has increased to 3.12 crore (2011 Census) from 2.66 crore (2001 Census), the policy argued that decadal growth of population at 17.07% is unsustainable for the state.
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