A population army in Assam will soon be distributing contraceptives and creae awareness about population control in the state's Muslim-majority areas.
Assam and Uttar Pradesh have introduced controversial population control proposals, which have been met with criticism.
"Around 1,000 youths from the char chapori (riverine sand bars) will be engaged to create awareness about population control measures and to supply contraceptives. We are also planning to create a separate work force of ASHA (accredited social health activists) workers who will be tasked with creating awareness about birth control and also supply contraceptives," Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the Assembly.
"If population growth among Hindus in Assam was 10 per cent from 2001 to 2011, it was 29 per cent among Muslims," Sarma added.
He said that because of the smaller population, "lifestyle of Hindus in Assam has become better, with spacious houses and vehicles, and children becoming doctors and engineers."?
Sarma also called for delinking the population control issue from politics while calling for adopting a realistic solution that emphasises on education, health, ending child marriage and financial inclusion to solve the problem among the Muslims of the state.?
According to Sarma, the problem is more apparent in Muslim-majority districts.