GUWAHATI: The Assam government has relaxed its two-child norm for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), tea garden tribes, and Moran and Matak communities.

A notification said these communities would be eligible for government employment, contesting elections and receiving incentives for Self Help Groups.

“The Governor of Assam is pleased to enunciate the ‘Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam (Amendment), 2025,” Health and Family Welfare Department Commissioner and Secretary Dr P Ashok Babu said in the notification.

“The existing eligibility criterion of having up to two children shall be extended to three children for the persons belonging to ST, SC, tea garden tribes, Moran and Matak communities,” it further stated.

The state cabinet had on October 23 taken a decision to abolish the two-child norm for these communities and the notification was issued on Friday.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had then stated that the decision was made as these are micro communities. 

“If we restrict their population, they may cease to exist after 50 years. We took the opinions of various social scientists and came to the conclusion that our strict population control policy needs to be relaxed so far as these communities are concerned,” he had stated.