Previous Year Question
With reference to the ‘Uttar Pradesh Population Control, Stabilisation and Welfare’ Bill, 2021 which of the following(s) is/are correct?
This Bill aims to bring the birth rate down to 2.1 per thousands population by 2026.
At present, the fertility rate in the State is 2.7 per thousand.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Only 1
Only 2
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
According to UPPSC, both statements are correct.
In 2021, the Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission released the proposed draft of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021. The Uttar Pradesh Population Policy 2021–2030, introduced around the same period, set a target to reduce the State's fertility from the then baseline of 2.7 to 2.1 by 2026.
Therefore, in the examination context—
Statement 1 was treated as correct, because the target for 2026 was 2.1.
Statement 2 was also treated as correct, because the policy used 2.7 as the then baseline fertility rate of the State.
There is an important technical point in this question. The question expresses 2.1 and 2.7 as “per thousand”, whereas these are actually Total Fertility Rate (TFR) figures. TFR represents the average number of children a woman would bear during her reproductive years and is not expressed per thousand population. In contrast, the Crude Birth Rate is expressed per 1,000 population. Nevertheless, the accepted UPPSC answer treats both statements as correct.
Current status: Subsequent official data show a decline in fertility. NFHS-5 (2019–21) recorded the TFR of Uttar Pradesh at 2.4, while the Sample Registration System 2022 recorded it at 2.5. Thus, 2.7 should not be treated as the present fertility rate; it is the historical baseline relevant to this 2021 question.