Assam govt to recommend to Centre disqualification of MLAs, MPs for violating two-child norms

Assam finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said, during a press conference held in Guwahati that, the state government will take up with the Centre that MLAs and MPs adhere to the family planning norms.

“The two-child norm will be proposed as the yardstick for any contestant to the state legislature. In case any MLA from the state flouts the family planning norms, that is MLAs having more than two children may be disqualified from their membership and debarred from contesting polls in future. The two-child norms will be relaxed in exceptions where there is birth of twins or triplets or in special circumstances on a case to case basis,” Sarma said.

“The state government will introduce legal provision in the draft population policy to bar people with more than two children to take part in panchayat and municipal body elections. It will be applicable for election to other statuary bodies and committees in the state,” he said.

The Assam minister said that, the state government servants shall strictly follow norms of two children family to serve as role model for the society.

The Assam finance minister said that, the state government also proposed specific measures to promote women’s empowerment in the draft policy.

“The state government has taken strict measures to ensure retention of girl students at school, provide all necessary facilities like girls toilets, water etc in all schools. The defaulting schools will be penalized and better performing schools to be awarded. Older widows and women would be protected by law to ensure that they are not duped of their property rights and strict application of laws will be encouraged to ensure it. The state government to introduce new provisions for the women belonging to SC, ST, Tea tribes and economically weaker women to avail equal and special opportunities," Sarma said.

The minister further said that, the state government will bring forth legislation to ensure adequate representation of women in elected bodies from village level onwards and to increase the reservation of women in eligible jobs up to 50 percent.

Himanta Biswa Sarma said that, the state government has identified 11 such districts in the state which with the highest densities of population as per the population census 2011 and will be launched a sustained campaigns in these districts to control the population growth.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)