Population Control isn’t PC, says PMO, orders a rewrite

‘‘The UPA government is committed to replicating all over the country the success that some southern and other states have had in ...

‘‘The UPA government is committed to replicating all over the country the success that some southern and other states have had in family planning…A sharply targeted Population Control Programme will be launched in 150 high fertility districts.’’
— National Common Minimum Programme.

You’d think this would be the most innocuous of commitments stated in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP), the UPA government’s official Bible.

As it turns out, the reference to Population Control has come in for criticism with growing pressure on the Prime Minister to rechristen the programme to something that is more ‘‘acceptable.’’

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So on November 24, the Prime Minister’s Office sent out word that the NCMP should be amended to change the nomenclature of the programme to Population Stabilisation Programme and ‘‘delete reference’’ to the earlier mentioned Population Control Programme.

Sources said Congress members and allies had both criticised the ‘‘anti-minority’’ ring that population control programmes carry with them.

So the PMO has now notified the Health Ministry that ‘‘the reference in the NCMP towards replicating the success of southern states should be appreciated in the larger context as population stabilization which is a result of investments in social development and improvement in comprehensive health care.’’

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

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