The National Population Equilibrium Target

Parliament shall, by law, establish a National Population Equilibrium Target (NPET) for each census decade — a target band for each state's population growth rate relative to the national average. The target is bidirectional: both excessive growth (above national average + 15%) and excessive decline (below national average − 15%) are addressed.

States whose population growth rate falls within the NPET band receive an Equilibrium Dividend in the Finance Commission formula: an additional 2% devolution weight.

This is the critical innovation: the policy rewards both population-growth control (relevant for northern states today) and population-growth maintenance (relevant for ageing southern states tomorrow). National demographic equilibrium — not minimum or maximum growth — becomes the rewarded outcome. Kerala and Tamil Nadu, actively encouraging families to have more children, would be rewarded for approaching the national equilibrium band rather than penalised for moving away from it.