Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government will provide interim pension to Muslim women who were divorced through the triple talaq practice. The pension will be offered under the state’s proposed population policy that was announced in April.

“There will be a provision for skill upgradation of Muslim women divorcees to help them gain employment and in the interim, such victims of triple talaq will be given family pension,” said Sarma, according to Hindustan Times. He also hinted at a new law being introduced to “make abandonment or divorce on flimsy grounds such as birth of girl child” a punishable offence.

The provision for interim pension to Muslim women is one of the many changes made to the draft policy, which is being renamed the population and women empowerment policy. The state government plans to urge the Centre to amend the Representation of the People Act to introduce the two-child norm for MPs and MLAs from Assam.

On April 9, the government came out with the draft that proposed preventing politicians with more than two children from working in government jobs. It had also proposed disallowing those with a history of child marriage from entering service.

On Thursday, Sarma said they had also introduced a few changes to ensure that the birth of a third child is not a hindrance to avail government benefits in some cases. These circumstances include the birth of twins or more during the second pregnancy, deaths of children and desertion of parents by children. However, the couple will need to seek permission for government benefits in such cases.

“To have a third child, government employees and elected representatives of local bodies will have to take the government’s permission, which will be given under very special circumstances,” the Hindustan Times quoted Sarma as saying.