Jalandhar Congress MLA Bawa Henry Proposes Population Control Bill With Harsh Penalties

Jalandhar (The Uttam Hindu): Congress MLA from Jalandhar North, Bawa Henry, has submitted a private member’s bill titled The Population Control Bill 2025 to the Punjab Assembly Speaker, proposing strict measures to enforce a two-child policy in the state. The proposed legislation seeks to penalize couples who have more than two children, with provisions including revocation of voting rights and a monetary fine of ₹10 lakh per additional child.

The bill was submitted to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s office both via WhatsApp and in person. Henry expressed hope that it will be tabled in the upcoming session of the Assembly.

If enacted, the bill would bar couples with more than two living children — conceived after one year of the law’s implementation — from contesting elections, voting, holding government jobs, receiving state-funded benefits or scholarships, and applying for government contracts. A minimum fine of ₹10 lakh per additional child is also proposed.

The legislation calls for the formation of a State Population Control and Public Welfare Committee to design and implement the two-child policy across Punjab.

This comes amid rising political concerns over demographic changes in the state. While Punjab’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stands at 1.6 — below the replacement level of 2.1 — migration from other states and the outflow of native Punjabis to foreign countries have sparked debates over identity and population balance. Earlier, in 2023, Congress leaders Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Partap Singh Bajwa had also urged restrictions on the purchase of agricultural land by non-Punjabis, citing concerns over the region’s demographic structure.