The policy will come into effect from January 1, 2021

Two years after the 126-member Assam Assembly adopted a population policy, the State Cabinet on Monday evening decided to make government jobs out of bounds for people with more than two children.

The policy will come into effect from January 1, 2021.

The Cabinet also adopted a new land policy that will make the landless indigenous people eligible for 3 bighas (43,200 sq. ft.) of land for farming and half a bigha for constructing a house. This will come with a rider: a beneficiary can sell the land only after 15 years of use.

The State Assembly had in September 2017 passed the ‘Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam’ seeking to encourage small family. Apart from specifying that candidates with two children only would be eligible for government jobs, the policy warranted that existing government employees should strictly follow the two-child norm.

“Implementing the population policy was necessary, given the pressure on land and resources in Assam. Providing land to the landless was also one of our commitments,” a Minister said after the Cabinet meeting.

Other decisions taken by the Cabinet included increasing bus fares by 25% and providing ₹300 per month to widows under a scheme named after educationist Indira Miri. The scheme also entails a one-time grant of ₹25,000 for women who became widows on or after April 1.