Assam reinforces two-child policy for govt. jobs, electoral participation

The Assam government has notified an amendment to a 2017 policy on population and women empowerment to reinforce the two-child norm for eligibility in government jobs, self-help groups (SHGs), and electoral participation.

Certain communities have, however, been allowed to have up to three children without losing access to government jobs and benefits, and the eligibility to contest elections to panchayats and urban local bodies. These groups are Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), “Tea Garden Tribes”, and the Matak and Moran communities.

The Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam (Amendment), 2025, will come into force immediately, the December 5 notification issued by the State’s Health and Family Welfare Department read.

According to this notification, candidates with only two children will be eligible for government employment, and existing government servants must strictly adhere to the two-child norm as role models for society.

It further said that individuals, male or female, who marry below the legal age, will become ineligible for government jobs or the State’s employment-generation schemes.

The revised framework states that the SHGs with members who uniformly adhere to the two-child (three-child for communities enjoying the relaxation) policy will receive special government incentives.

The notification says that the government may legislate legal provisions to bar people with more than two children from taking part in panchayat and municipal elections, and consider similar legal provisions for election or nomination to other statutory bodies and committees.

“In addition to the two-child norm, Government may, in aid of creating an educated society and population structure, put minimum educational qualifications as eligibility criteria for contesting elections to panchayats and urban local bodies,” the notification reads.

“The Government of Assam will take up with the Government of India the issue of ensuring that MLAs adhere to the family planning norms. The two-child norm will be proposed as the yardstick for anyone contesting election to the State legislature. In case any MLA from the State flouts the family planning norms, i.e., having more than two children, he or she may be disqualified from his/her membership and be debarred from contesting polls in future,” it says.