Assam govt to check growth of Muslim population, no benefits for those having morethan two children
From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : In Assam, parents of more than two children can be deprived of the benefits of government schemes. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Assam government will implement the ‘Two Child Policy’ in a phased manner to avail benefits in the state’s schemes. He has said that this is not possible in the schemes of the Central Government, but it will be implemented in the schemes of the State Government. Sarma has reiterated that the state government will take special policy steps to control the increase in minority population. He said the move aims to eradicate poverty and illiteracy.
The first goal of the Government of Assam is to spread health and educational activities and to curb the growth of Muslim population through policy steps. Sarma, however, also said that people from within the community will have to come for such an initiative as when the government does so from outside, it will be misinterpreted on political grounds. It is not a political issue but for the good of our mothers and sisters. Above all, this step is for the welfare of the community.
The Chief Minister of Assam said that when we go into the bottom of statistics, we find that the Muslim population is growing at the rate of 29 per cent (decades) while the Hindu population is growing at the rate of 10 per cent. Assam has managed to keep its annual population growth at 1.6 per cent. The Assam CM said he is in constant touch with muslim community leaders and will hold consultations with several organisations next month.
Sarma said there are problems like floods and land erosion that should be solved. Recently, he had said that the Assam Government is planning to bring in a population policy with a two-child rule. The families following this will get benefits under the special schemes of the State Government. It is known that such a rule is available for contesting Panchayat elections and for state government jobs. Assam Chief Minister Hemant Biswa Sarma has hit back at All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen or AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi following a statement on population control of minorities.Owaisi said the Assam chief minister has once again started talking about “population control”. It is hindutva speaking, which is accusing the poor and the exploited.
The AIMIM Chief said that but the fact remains that Assam has already come down to TFR (Total Fertility Rate) at 2.1 while the nation’s TFR is 2.2. In simple terms, there is no population explosion. Owaisi further said that your government should worry about the odd sex ratio due to the barbaric practice of sex-selective abortion. It is estimated that assam’s sex ratio will deteriorate in 2036 and the number of men will go up considerably. There is a need to fight against a culture that is fundamentally anti-gender.
