Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu has a solution for ageing population: ‘Have more children’

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu once again brought up the issue of the ageing population in the region and appealed to people to have more children. 

Naidu said that his government was mulling over introducing legislation which restricts participation in the local body election to people who have two or more children.

“We are thinking of incentivising families with more kids, encouraging couples to have more children. We have repealed the earlier law barring people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. We will bring in a new law to make only those with more than two children eligible to contest,’’ said Naidu on Saturday (Oct 19).

Naidu said that young generations have migrated to other parts of the country or overseas, and only the elderly residents have been left behind in several districts. 

“In numerous villages across Andhra Pradesh and the country, the younger generation has relocated to cities, leaving only elderly people behind,” Naidu observed.

The chief minister said that there has been a 1.6 per cent drop in the population growth rate in Andhra Pradesh and in India, the average growth rate has declined from 6.2 per cent in the 1950s to 2.1 per cent in 2021.

“We are already in deficit. Having fewer than two children leads to the rapid decline of the young population. Having more than two kids will ensure a stable population,” Naidu said.

“Countries like Japan, China, and several European nations are facing the consequences of ageing populations, where a significant share of the population is elderly,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)