New Delhi: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that India is against forcing family planning on its people and any coercion to have a certain number of children is counter-productive and leads to demographic distortions, Hindustan Times reported quoting PTI.
In an affidavit filed in the top court, the health ministry told the apex court that the family welfare programme in the country is voluntary in nature. It enables couples to decide the size of their family and adopt family planning methods best suited to them, according to their choice and without any compulsion.
The submission was made in response to a PIL filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. He had challenged a Delhi High Court order that dismissed a plea seeking certain steps, including two-child norm, to control the country’s growing population.
The ministry said that ‘public health’ is a state subject and the state governments must lead the process of health sector reforms in a suitable and sustainable manner to protect the common people from health hazards, the report added.
“Improvement in the health sector can be effectively led by the state government with effective monitoring and specific intervention to control and regulate the implementation process of the guidelines and schemes in a proper perspective,” it said.
The ministry said it does not have any direct role as in implementing the guidelines and schemes in the states. It only allocates funds to state governments for implementation of the approved schemes, it added.
