Gujarat proposes to limit family size

Parent will be given incentives to have just two children

By Rathin Das in Ahmedabad

The government in Gujarat in western India is to introduce a new set of laws aimed at encouraging couples in the state to have a maximum of two children.

The budget session of the state's legislative assembly has begun with the government taking the first steps to introduce the new law.

A ministerial committee was set up last month to examine ways of making the proposition attractive to families.

Gujarat will be the first state in India to implement a two child norm if this proposal becomes a law. The state's population has already crossed 50 million.

Children are seen as a guarantee of future economic security

The bill is expected to be introduced in the state assembly in about 10 days time - after the discussion and voting on the budget proposals.

State officials say the new law is necessary because of the high rate of population growth during the last decade, in which Gujarat's population grew by 22%.

Incentives

The proposed laws comprises a package of incentives to the people to follow the two-child norm.

These include special facilities for families with only two or fewer children, while the couples with more children are likely to lose benefits including subsidised rations, free education or health care for the third child.

Even maternity leave and medical benefits may be denied for the delivery of the third child.

But social workers say such legislation is unlikely to prove effective as poor families see more children as future economic security for themselves.

Several voluntary agencies and women's groups have said that population growth cannot be controlled by enforcing a law.

They have suggested social development and improved health conditions including increasing awareness on family planning methods as better alternatives to curb population growth.

The northern Indian state of Rajasthan is considering a similar proposal but only for government employees.