Rajasthan to Abolish 30-Year-Old Two-Child Norm for Panchayat Elections

• The Bhajanlal government in Rajasthan plans to amend a 30-year-old law, allowing parents of three children to contest Panchayat and local body elections.
• A bill to change this provision, which currently disqualifies candidates with more than two children, may be introduced in the upcoming assembly budget session.
• The current law, in effect since November 27, 1995, bars individuals with three or more children from contesting various local positions like Panch, Sarpanch, Councilor, and Mayor.
• Drafts for amending the 1994 Panchayati Raj Act and the 2009 Municipal Act have been prepared by relevant departments and sent to the Law Department.
• While many states have abolished similar two-child policies, Rajasthan's rule has persisted for local elections; the state government has already relaxed this norm for its employees.

Why It Matters: Rajasthan's Bhajanlal government is set to remove the 30-year-old two-child norm for local elections.