Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the Assembly on Monday that Assam will have a ‘Population Army’ to distribute contraceptives and raise awareness about population control in Muslim-dominated areas of the state. He said a 1,000-strong force would be dispatched to Lower Assam. The Chief Minister, whose controversial population control proposals have sparked outrage and prompted similar attempts in Uttar Pradesh, another BJP-ruled state, told the Assembly that the state’s western and central regions are experiencing a population explosion.
‘Around 1,000 young people from the char chapori (riverine sandbars) will be involved in spreading information about population control and providing contraceptives. We’re also planning to create a separate workforce of ASHA (accredited social health activists) workers who will be tasked with spreading birth control awareness and distributing contraceptives,’ he said. ‘If population growth among Hindus in Assam was 10 percent from 2001 to 2011, it was 29 percent among Muslims,’ the Chief Minister added.
‘Due to the smaller population, the Hindu lifestyle in Assam has improved, with spacious houses and vehicles, and children becoming doctors and engineers,’ he added. However, it is unclear how the Chief Minister arrived at this conclusion.
The Chief Minister has been pushing hard for the promotion of measures to combat the state’s population explosion, which he claims is being driven by minority populations.
Post Your Comments