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Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu wants to bar families with less than 2 children from elections: Report
The total fertility rate in southern states is 1.73, well below the national average of 2.1.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wants people to have more children, failing which one could be barred from contesting local body elections.
This comes just months after the state repealed a law that barred people with more than two children from contesting panchayat and municipal elections. A proposal is said to be in the works to implement the rule about more kids.
“We earlier had a legislation that allowed people with not more than two children to contest in local body and civic body polls. Now I say that those with fewer children will not be allowed to contest elections. In future, you will become a sarpanch, municipal councillor or mayor only if you have more than two children, the chief minister said in his native village on Tuesday, The Times of India reported.
The two-child policy was implemented well in the southern part of the country. The total fertility rate in southern states is 1.73, well below the national average of 2.1.
More incentives for couples with more kids in Andhra Pradesh
Apart from contesting local body polls, the Chandrababu Naidu government is also giving more incentives to people who have more children.
According to reports, a proposal is being worked on to give subsidised rice to families with more children in Andhra Pradesh. According to the current policy, a family can only receive up to 25 kilograms of rice, 5 kg for each member per month.
According to Naidu, the countries which implemented and incentivised family planning, like Japan and Korea, are battling an ageing population. He called it a wake up call for India.
“Some years down the line, India too will face ageing population concerns and we will be left with very little to do at that stage,” he said on the matter.
Naidu is of the opinion that if India goes into that situation with the right policies, the country could reap demographic dividends by 2047.
