New Delhi, Feb. 21 (PTI): A fresh plea was today filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to ensure strict population control measures by adopting a two-child policy.
The petition, filed by Delhi BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, also sought a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to make two-child norm a mandatory criteria for contesting parliamentary, state assembly and local body elections, forming a political party, becoming political office bearers and applying for jobs in the executive and judiciary and receiving government aids and subsidies.
It claimed that the government has not appropriately formulated and successfully implemented policies to manage the country s population growth. There is no aggressive sterilisation campaign, targeting men and women both.
India will become world s most populous country by 2030, it said.
The petition alleged that because of the continuing inaction and apathy of the State and the executive to implement population control measures, the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, including right to health, shelter, water, speedy justice, environment and livelihood, cannot be secured to all citizens.
“Population in India is growing rapidly. The growth is so alarming that it has nullified the impact of all development. In 1947, population of India was nearly 33 crore, which has increased more than four times today with 135 crore,” it said, adding that the population density of the country is at a humongous 404 people per sq km of area, whereas the global density is at a nominal 51 people per sq km of land area.
It added that every year population is increasing but the amount of natural resources to sustain this population are diminishing.
“A uniform system of implementing population control strategies and the creation of a national matrix is not only the pressing need of the hour, but is also in line with the constitutional norms. Same shall not only be a manifestation of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of laws but shall also go a long way in ensuring economic planning to garner constitutional rights to one and all,” it said.
Four petitions have recently been filed in the apex court seeking a directive to the Centre to ensure strict population control measures by adopting a two-child policy and reward or punish those who adhere or fail to follow it.
The petitions, filed by advocates Anuj Saxena, Prathvi Raj Chauhan and Priya Sharma, claimed that statistics relating to population growth indicate that by 2022, the population of India is likely to pass the 1.5 billion mark.
Another plea was filed by activist Anupam Bajpai through advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi.
The plea alleged that the increase in population was imposing an increasing burden on the limited natural resources of the country and causing continuous degradation.
The PILs also said that unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, poor health, pollution and global warming are a few effects of the population explosion that is being experienced in the country.
