Assam: Three-child norm for ST, SC, Tea Tribes, Morans, Mataks

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Government of Assam today relaxed the existing two-child norm to three children for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Tea Garden Tribes, and the Moran and Matak communities. To implement this decision, the state government has made significant changes to the population policy.

The state government on Friday issued a notification announcing the Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam (Amendment), 2025, introducing significant changes to eligibility norms for government employment, SHG incentives, and elections by amending the provisions under Clause 6 of the Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam, 2017.

According to the notification issued by the Health & Family Welfare Department, the existing two-child norm has been relaxed to three children for communities belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Tea Garden Tribes, and the Moran and Matak communities, in line with earlier notifications of the Tribal Affairs Department.

Existing provisions for government employment state that only candidates with two children will be eligible for government jobs, that government employees must strictly adhere to the two-child norm, and that any individuals violating the legal age of marriage will be ineligible for employment or government-run employment generation schemes.

Now, these provisions have been relaxed, allowing three child norms for STs, SCs, Tea Tribes, and Moran-Matak communities.

As for Self Help Groups (SHGs), existing provisions stated that SHGs with members having only two children will receive special incentives.

Now, the same three-child rule has been made applicable for members of ST, SC, Tea Tribe, Moran and Matak communities.

Regarding electoral eligibility, earlier rules stipulated that the government may legislate to bar persons with more than two children from contesting Panchayat and Municipal elections. Similar provisions were extended to other statutory bodies. It was also stated that the Assam government will take up with the Centre the proposal to enforce the two-child norm for MLAs; legislators violating it could be disqualified.

Several general conditions were in force stating that the policy applied only in cases of two live children. The norm applied to natural or legally adopted children; disowned children were not exempt. Exceptions to the rules include twins as a second set, triplets at first birth, or differently-abled children, with more exemptions considered case by case.

The present notification states that the existing eligibility criterion of having up to two children shall be extended to three children for the persons belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Tea Garden Tribes and the Moran and Matak communities.

The notification further stated that the amended policy comes into effect immediately.

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