Chhattisgarh and Haryana are rethinking the two-child norm even as Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have already decided to withdraw it as a qualification for contesting the panchayat elections.Realising that it is coercive and does not work, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj had recently written to the states to have a relook at the policy.‘‘I have written to the states to review it. Madhya Pradesh has already done it,’’ said Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who recently visited villages in Chhattisgarh to study the functioning of panchayats.The norm was initially adopted by Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh — the reasoning being that it would encourage people to have smaller families and ensure that the leaders were role models for their communities.Aiyar said while this had not happened, the law had led to more atrocities on women.‘‘I don’t think politicians are role models for social behaviour. The proof that neither has it improved the birth rate or social behaviour is irrefutable,’’ said Aiyar.The ministry found that the law led to bigamy, neglect of girl infants, children being given for adoption and denial of paternity of the third child.The ministry also found that the states which adopted the two-child norm as a pre-qualification had a poor record in devolution of powers to the panchayats — Maharashtra being an exception.While the ministry feels there is no need for additional qualifications for contesting polls, Chhattisgarh's move to disqualify elected representatives who do not build a toilet in their house in one year has come for praise from the the panchayati raj minister.The Prime Minister had also recently spoken out against the two-child norm.
