Those with more than two kids won’t get govt jobs in Assam from next year

india

Updated: Oct 22, 2019 22:50 IST

The Assam cabinet on Monday approved a policy which will make those with more than two children ineligible for government jobs from January 2021, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

“In a revolutionary move, the Cabinet approved Two Child norms and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act norms for entry and continuation in govt service,” Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s office tweeted Tuesday.

In a revolutionary move, the Cabinet approved Two Child norms and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act norms for entry and continuation in Govt. service. — Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) October 22, 2019

A senior government official also warned that serving state government employee has a third child after January 2021, he/she could face disciplinary proceedings.

KK Dwivedi, Commissioner and Secretary, Government of Assam in-charge of the Department of Personnel said, “We have made new rules, that anyone who has a third child after January 1, 2021 will not be eligible for a state government job and if any of the serving state government employee has a third child after January 2021, he/she could face disciplinary proceedings as per the service rules,” Dwivedi said. Even those who have opted for child marriage will also not be eligible, he added.

Dwivedi clarified that all parents whose children are born before the January 2021 cut-off will not be affected by the new two child rule. The rules will also not apply to those employed on contract by the state government. The two-child norm will be relaxed in exceptions where there is birth of twins or triplets.

The two child rule follows the State Population and Women Empowerment Policy of 2017 which mentioned that “candidates having two children only will be eligible” and “Government servants shall strictly follow norms of two children family to serve as role model for the Society.”

Earlier, the state had passed the Assam Panchayat (Amendment) Act, 2018 which barred anyone with more than two children from contesting the Panchayat polls.

While Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia refused to comment on the government’s latest policy, All India United Democratic Front, the regional political party led by Badruddin Ajmal has opposed the move.

“We oppose this move. It is no way to control birth rate. There are two reasons for high fertility rate, illiteracy and poverty. The government should address them first. Three communities are impacted by high fertility rate, the schedules caste, the scheduled tribes and Muslims,” said Aminul Islam, General Secretary of the AIUDF.

Assam’s total fertility rate stands at 2.3 at par with the country’s average, according to government data.

Abdul Mannan, former Gauhati University professor of statistics, said it is wrong to link the move as targeting any particular community. “We should not always see the decision being targeted at any particular community. It will impact everyone. It is a good move,” he said.

He, however, claimed it is a state government ploy to divert attention from its inability to provide jobs.