More Indian states propose two-child policy
India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, is the second state to propose a two-child policy after north-eastern state of Assam announced its plans last month.
CAPE TOWN, July 15 (ANA) – India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, is the second state to propose a two-child policy after north-eastern state of Assam announced its plans last month.
South China Morning Post (SCMP) has reported on Wednesday that both states are governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who proposed the policy due to “limited ecological and economic resources.”
The plan aims to limit couples from having more than two children as overpopulation has caused nationwide social issues which includes affordable housing shortages and unemployment.
Uttar Pradesh is home to 240 million people and according to the 2019 World Population Prospects by the United Nations, India could overtake China to become the world’s most populous nation by 2027.
However, in May this year, Chinese demographers hinted that the shift could happen as soon as 2022.
“At the speed the population grows, people will turn into cannibals in 20 years from now,” New Delhi resident, Bhupinder Kumar, said.
“There are no jobs, no space to live and people will start encroaching on others’ properties,” he said.
Young workers from rural areas have started looking outside their villages and moved towards the city in search of employment. This has only caused additional stress on the cities which have also become crowded.
The Guardian has reported that when the parliament sessions get under way later this month, more states are expected to introduce the bills for population control.
Meanwhile, China recently reported a 60-year birth rate low and is attempting to encourage more births. Last month, Chinese authorities decided to allow couples to have one more addition to the two children that have been allowed per family since 2016.
Prior to that, the world’s most populous nation, with around 1.4 billion people, had maintained a one-child policy for nearly 40 years.
– African News Agency (ANA); Edited by Naomi Mackay
