Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday urged the minority community to adopt a “decent family planning policy” for population control to reduce poverty.
“We want to work with the minority Muslim community to control population,” he said while speaking at a press conference to mark the completion of 30 days of his government. “The root cause of issues such as poverty, land encroachment, etc, lies in uncontrolled population growth. I think we can put an end to a lot of social problems in Assam if the Muslim community adopts decent family planning norms.”
“No one is our enemy and we want the poor people of every community to progress but we need community support. Instead of criticising the government, organisations such as AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) and AAMSU (All Assam Minority Students’ Union) should motivate people to have smaller families,” he added.
Sarma said that his government will work towards educating the women of the community so that the problem can be tackled effectively.
