Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya denied the bill raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rakesh Sinha on population control. Sinha had to withdraw his bill on Friday (April 1, 2022) after his intervention.
Actually, Sinha had introduced the Private Member Bill in July 2019. The bill sought to introduce the two-child rule, while also called for penal provisions for its violation.
Intervening in the discussion on the private bill, Mandaviya said, “Better medical services are being provided in the country today. The country is changing. A new India is being formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But he is confident that the goal of population control can be achieved by spreading education and awareness.
According to Mandaviya, the fertility rate in the country has reached two percent. The country is moving towards reducing it further by the year 2025. There is also a steady decline in the rate of population growth in the country. The population growth rate was 2.20 percent in 1971, which has come down to 1.64 percent in 2011.
He added, “It is a great success. The speed with which the population is increasing, it is clear that there has been a considerable decline in it. Population control is essential for better living standards.
The minister said that such efforts should be made so that the people themselves adopt family planning. Law is not necessary for this. But with time it changed. For this people’s access to better health facilities was necessary and it was done.
Mandaviya said that the family should be small for better development of the country. The population should be stable. Along with this, he also expressed confidence that the goal of population control will be achieved by spreading awareness.