No govt jobs for candidates with more than 2 children under Assam govt's new population policy

The Assam government has announced a population policy under which any candidate with more than two children will not be eligible for government jobs. The draft population policy also says that the government is also mulling a legislation under which people with more than two children will be barred from taking part in panchayat and municipal body elections. The policy also aims to make government facilities, services and employment unavailable for people married after the age of 18 years.

Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sharma tweeted that the policy aims to curb rising population numbers. "#PopulationPolicy proposes incentives & disincentives to encourage people to adopt small family norms and directed towards social reform/2 (sic),” he tweeted.

However, the move is seen as one aimed at the state’s Bengali-speaking Muslim population. The state is in the midst of a volatile issue of citizenship as it is drawing a list of people under the National Register of Citizens. With undocumented people crossing over from Bangladesh being an emotive issue in the state, the state government has declared that undocumented Bangladeshi Hindus will be allowed to remain while the Muslims will have to go.  

The government may also make education for girls free, up to the university. Educational institutions that do not have enough girls will be penalised. The policy says that the government will also incentivise those who keep their parents with them and “take proper care”.