Petition says couples who follow policy should be rewarded.

The Supreme Court may hear a plea to direct the Union government to give a “serious thought” to the rise in population and adopt the “two-child” policy norm in family planning.

The public interest litigation petition, filed by activist Anupam Bajpai, said couples who followed the policy should be rewarded with incentives, while those who violated the “norm” should be punished by withdrawal of government “facilities and concessions”.

“The citizen should have a limit in giving birth only to the maximum of two children, failing which the person concerned shall attract disqualification with respect to government facilities and other benefits being provided by the government to its citizens," the petition, filed through advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi, said.

It said that unless measures were taken to make a course correction of the mindset of the present generation, the future generations may have to lead a miserable life.

'Motivate people'

The petition asked the court to direct the Central government to “motivate the people of this country” to follow the two-child policy norm.

The petition said the pressure put on natural resources by the growing population had led to land degradation, dangerous levels of pollution, global warming and the depletion of ground and surface water.

"The rapid population growth and economic development in the country are degrading the environment through the uncontrolled growth of urbanisation and industrialisation, expansion and intensification of agriculture and destruction of the natural habitat. If the population of India continues to multiply with the existing rate, the impact on the environment could be devastating," the petition noted.