VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu called on people in southern states to have more children, citing concerns about an ageing population. He said Saturday the state govt is planning to implement “population management“, including considering new legislation to incentivise families with more kids.
“The state govt is thinking of bringing a law that would make only those with more than two children eligible to contest local body elections,” Naidu said.
He also mentioned that the state had earlier passed legislation barring people with more than two children from contesting local polls. “We have repealed that law, and we are now considering reversing it…Govt may provide more benefits to families with more children,” he said.
“Though we have a demographic advantage until 2047, signs of ageing problem are starting to appear in south India, including Andhra. Many countries like Japan, China, and some European nations are struggling with this problem, having a larger elderly population. In south India, the problem is compounded by young people migrating to other parts of the country or abroad,” the CM added.
He pointed out that the fertility rate in southern states has already dropped to 1.6, well below the national average of 2.1. “If it declines any further, we will see a higher number of elderly people by 2047, which is not desirable. In many villages across Andhra and other parts of the country, only elderly people remain. The younger population has moved to cities,” he said.
Naidu acknowledged his earlier stand on population control. “At that time, the thinking was to preserve scarce natural resources, and the belief was that a growing population would hinder development. We succeeded in reducing population growth, but that has now brought new challenges,” he added.