Guwahati, July 31: The BJP-led government in Assam will pass laws to offer incentives to employees who limit the number of children they have to two in a bid to check population growth in the state.

The state now has a population of over 3 crore spread over 78,000 square km.

"The proposed legislation, which is expected to be tabled in the Assembly during the winter session of the House, will empower the government to give various incentives and benefits to employees having only two children," an Assam government official told The Telegraph.

State government employees with two kids will be entitled to certain concessions.

The government will also restrict certain concessions, allowances and reimbursements - such as leave travel concession, children's education allowance and child care leave - only to employees with up to two children.

The official said besides giving various direct benefits to employees, the proposed legislation will also have provisions for reservation of seats in jobs and institutes of higher education, both in Assam and outside the state, for the children of such employees.

Health, finance and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told this correspondent on Tuesday that though the proposed legislation does not make it mandatory for employees to restrict the number children they have, it motivates and actively engages employees to make the government's family planning programme successful.

Sarma, who recently presented the state budget in the Assembly, said with limited resources at its disposal, Assam cannot afford such rapid population growth.

It is not difficult to visualise the quantum jump in the demand for foodgrain, water and other basic infrastructure required just to sustain this level of population, the minister said.

He said the state's unemployment problem cannot be solved without solving the population explosion issue.

Ilias Ali, trainer-cum-nodal officer of the male and female sterilisation programmes in Assam, welcomed the government's initiative and said, if implemented properly, the move would go a long way in arresting the population explosion in the state.

Ali, who has been successful in popularising family planning concept among Muslims in the state, however, said to effectively implement the population stabilisation policy the government has to give equal importance to prevent child mortality.

"I have found that many couples, especially in rural and remote areas of the state, want to have more than two children fearing that some of their kids may die owing to poor healthcare facilities and malnutrition," he said.

"If the child mortality rate in the state comes down, population stabilisation will automatically take place to a large extent. I have come across many couples who want to stick to small families. But they are haunted by incidents of child mortality," he said.

Ali said family planning is now popular even among many uneducated, poor and conservative Muslim families.

"Many Muslims in the state, who were till a few years ago reluctant to use birth control measures, have now understood the benefits of having a small family," Ali said.

 

Small is Smart

• Central government employees already get benefits for having a small family
• States like Rajasthan and Gujarat also give such benefits to its employees
• According to 2011 census, Dhubri, Morigaon, Goalpara, Darrang, Nagaon, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Dhemaji, Kamrup (metro), Karbi Anglong and Lakhimpur districts recorded alarming population growth
• Around 14.9% of Assam’s population is between 0 and 6 years of age