On 9 July, the Uttar Pradesh government released a draft of the proposed Population (control, sterilisation & welfare) Bill 2021 with an aim to make a two-child policy mandatory for those who wish to avail government benefits.

Two days later on the occasion of World Population Day, the government also released the state’s population policy saying that the governments aim to bring the birth rate down to 2.1 by 2026 and also reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.

While it is a fact that since Uttar Pradesh along with Bihar makes up for about 23 percent of the whole country’s population making it quite important for population control strategies to be put in place, can the Uttar Pradesh government’s proposed measures achieve its intended goal?

Shailaja Chandra the Former Secretary in the Ministry of Health weighs in on the hotly discussed subject. She also talks about her experience on ground from when she served as the first Executive Director of Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh or National Population Stabilisation Fund. Tune in!