By Hazel Gandhi
An old news report about the introduction of a Population Control Bill in Uttar Pradesh is viral online as recent.
BOOM found that the report is from July 2021 and carries the details of a proposed draft of the Uttar Pradesh Population Control Bill, which has not been passed in the Parliament.
The viral clip shows a video report by Republic Bharat about UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath preparing to introduce a draft of the Population Control Bill. The anchor is heard talking about how, if passed, this law would prohibit families with more than two children from accessing upto 77 government schemes, other jobs, and facilities. He adds how members of these families would also not be able to contest elections, avail subsidies, or get promoted in their jobs.
X user @MeghUpdates shared the video with the caption, "CM Yogi on front foot"
BOOM has previously debunked several false and misleading claims peddled by this handle. Read here.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
The same video is also circulating on Facebook with the caption, "Big big decision by YOGI Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh. New population control bill. Hum do Humare DO"
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Also Read:2024 Elections: Did BJP's K Annamalai Receive Only 1 Vote In A Booth?
FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the video is from July 2021 and is related to a draft population bill for Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile population control bills at the national level have been introduced twice in the Lok Sabha and once in the Rajya Sabha but have not been passed yet.
We noticed the logo of Republic Bharat on the viral video and ran a search on its YouTube channel using Hindi keywords related to the Population Control Bill. This led us to a news report shared on July 21, 2021, that matched the viral video. The video was titled 'Yogi has created population control formula! Watch Yeh Bharat Ki Baat Hai, with Syed Suhail'
(Original text in Hindi: Yogi ने बना लिया जनसंख्या नियंत्रण फार्मूला! | देखिए Ye Bharat Ki Baat Hai, Syed Suhail के साथ)
The portion of this video from 16:24 is an exact match to the viral video.
We ran a search for the Population Control Bill in Uttar Pradesh and found that it was a proposed draft of the bill released by the UP's State Law Commission in July 2021. According to this draft bill, The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021, couples adhering to the two-child mandate would be given incentives in the form of healthcare, subsidies, and other special benefits. However, ones who do not adhere to this policy would be barred from government schemes, contesting elections, applying to government jobs, among other disincentivising features.
We did not find any results about this bill being passed or becoming a law.
On World Population Day 2022, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke about the importance of regulating the country's population and said "It shouldn't happen that the speed of growth of one community's population is more than the rest."
Other BJP MPs including Ravi Kishan and Pragya Thakur have voiced their support for and demanded a population control law in the country in the past.
While these leaders have cited reasons related to curbing the population explosion in India and UP, the country's fertility rate has actually been declining. According to the National Family Health Survey, the Total Fertility Rate of Uttar Pradesh has declined from 4.1 in 1998 to 2.7 in 2015-16. Experts at the time of the introduction of this draft bill also criticised it based on the fact that it may lead to further female foeticide and unsafe abortions. They also pointed out that this bill is dangerous because many women in India still lack the agency to plan their own families.
Also Read:Old Video of TDP Supporters Burning Chandrababu Naidu’s Photo Shared As Recent
