‘Have more children…’: Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu proposes solution for ageing population; advocates new election rules

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed worry about the region's aging population and encouraged couples to have more children. He also revealed that his government plans to introduce a law that would allow only individuals with two or more children to participate in local body elections.

"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 We have repealed the earlier law barring people with more than two children from contesting local body elections.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," Naidu said on Saturday after restarting construction work at Amaravati, which had been stopped by the previous government.

The chief minister noted that younger people are moving to other parts of the country and abroad, leaving many districts with mostly elderly residents. He pointed out that the population growth rate in Andhra Pradesh has fallen to 1.6%. Additionally, he highlighted that India's average growth rate has decreased from 6.2% in the 1950s to 2.1% 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,” he said.

He also mentioned that countries like China, Japan, and many European nations are facing similar issues. Naidu warned that after 2047, there will be more elderly people than young people in Andhra Pradesh. He emphasized that having more children is not just a personal choice but a responsibility to serve society and the country. Naidu has expressed similar concerns before, noting that while the average age in Andhra Pradesh is currently 32, it is expected to rise to 40 by 2047.

On August 7, the state Cabinet removed the rule that prevented people with more than two children from running in local body elections.

“I was staunchly in favour of population control once upon a time, and brought in legislation barring persons having more than two children from contesting elections… I was afraid that a huge population would cause shortages of water, land, and other resources. You listened to me and brought down the population in Andhra Pradesh in just 10 years. Now, I am afraid that we won’t have enough young population in our state,” Naidu said Saturday.