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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sparked a debate about population policies in India by urging people to have more children, citing an impending ageing crisis as a major concern. Naidu, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party, has announced his intention to introduce legislation that would incentivize larger families in the state. This proposal, however, has drawn criticism from some quarters, raising questions about the ethical implications of encouraging larger families in a country already facing significant demographic pressures.
Naidu's call for a larger population stems from his observation of a declining fertility rate in South India, particularly Andhra Pradesh. He argues that the region's current fertility rate of 1.6, significantly lower than the national average of 2.1, could lead to a scenario with a higher number of elderly citizens and a smaller workforce by 2047. This demographic shift, he fears, could create a significant strain on social and economic resources, echoing the challenges faced by countries like Japan, China, and certain European nations grappling with aging populations.
Naidu's solution is a policy reversal from a previous law that had limited the number of children allowed for individuals contesting local elections. He believes that encouraging larger families through incentives, including potentially making eligibility for local elections contingent on having more than two children, could help counter the ageing crisis. However, this proposal has been met with criticism, raising concerns about the potential for coercive measures and the infringement upon individual reproductive choices. Critics argue that incentivizing larger families might not be the most effective approach to addressing the ageing crisis and could exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities.
Source: Chandrababu Naidu urges people to have more children, promises law to combat ageing crisis