Area-wise demographic policy required for UP: BJP MLA to govt

Lucknow, Oct 22 (PTI) BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh has sought implementation of an 'area-wise demographic policy' (ADP) for Uttar Pradesh as he flagged a statistical "imbalance" in the comparative Hindu and Muslim population in the state.

The legislator from the Sarojini Nagar assembly seat has written a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recommending creation of this policy which is aimed to ensure "balanced" population growth, women's empowerment and social harmony through "targeted" interventions in education, health, family planning, and migration management.

The MLA, a former officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a Supreme Court lawyer, cited Census data from 1951 and 2011 to state that the Hindu population in the state declined by 5 percentage points while that of the Muslims rose by the same percentage over the last six decades.

"Uttar Pradesh lies at the heart of India's demographic balance. If this balance shifts unchecked, both social harmony and development will suffer. The ADP proposal is not directed against any community but towards building an educated, equitable, and harmonious Uttar Pradesh," Singh said in his letter to the CM.

The ADP, he said could be initiated by categorizing the identified districts and blocks into 'Green', 'Amber' and 'Red' zones based on five measurable indicators of TFR (total fertility rate), child marriage prevalence, age at first birth, female education levels and migration balance.

This can be incentivised with certain monetary and public welfare grants like providing 5 per cent additional development funds to districts achieving TFR less than 2.1 per cent or child marriage less than 10 per cent over a period of time, he suggested.

A motivational financial aid of Rs 10,000 as DBT (direct benefit transfer) can be provided to those families where girls complete their education upto Class 12 and an award named "Jan Sankhya Santulan Puraskar" can be given to Panchayats with exemplary family planning outcomes, Singh said.

He added that "priority" in housing/tax benefits can be ensured for families with two or fewer children.

The MLA added that "limited" priority could be kept for high-TFR families in housing and DBT-linked welfare schemes and monthly awareness and audit reviews could be conducted by the district magistrates of under-performing districts.

These steps under the proposed ADP will lead to "balanced demography and improved maternal-child health, rapid gains in girls' education and women's empowerment and reduction in irregular migration and enhancement of social cohesion", he said.

The proposed measures will also lead to data-driven governance transcending caste or religious lines, Singh added. PTI NES NB NB