Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday called for delinking the population control issue from politics and adopting a realistic solution with emphasis on education, health, ending child marriage and financial inclusion to solve the problem among the Muslims of the state.
The problem is more pronounced in Muslim majority districts, he said.
It has been accepted by all members of the assembly that population increase among the minority community of Lower and Central Assam is a matter of concern, Sarma claimed during a discussion in the House initiated by opposition Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed on various issues related to the Muslims living of the 'Char-Chaporis' (sand bar areas).
Opposition members who participated in the discussion said that using the issue politically would not solve the problem but asserted that there should not be a population control policy for Muslims alone.
According to the 2011 Census, Muslims comprise 34.22 per cent of Assam's total population of 3.12 crore and they are in majority in several districts.
To bring down the population growth rate among the Muslims particularly those settled in the 'Char-Chaporis', Ahmed proposed establishing educational institutes, stopping child marriages, improving health and communication services, providing jobs in government and private sectors based on population representation and facilitating easy availability of birth control measures among women.
