A demographer by training, Dr. Srinivas Goli (presently a New Generation Network Scholar at the University of Western Australia) joins us in the Policy Room to contemplate the relevance of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill.

Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country announced this contentious bill as an instrument to control and stabilise the population growth in the state. The bill proposes a two-child norm, failing to adhere to which would deny people government jobs, subsidies, and promotions. It also offers incentives for people with two children or less. Moreover, the experts have deemed the bill counterproductive and “coercive” since it advances the rates of sex-selective abortions given the son meta preference. The proposed bill has sparked debates and triggered reactions from various groups.