Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has proposed allowing only individuals with more than two children to contest municipal and panchayat elections. The announcement comes months after the state assembly repealed a 30-year-old law that barred individuals with more than two children from participating in local body elections, a TOI report stated.Revising the approach to population policiesNaidu has been vocal about addressing the issue of ageing populations, advocating for increased birth rates over the past decade. Speaking at his native village Naravaripalle near Tirupati during Sankranti celebrations, he reiterated the urgency of shifting policy focus.”We earlier had a legislation that allowed people with not more than two children to contest in local body and civic body polls,” Naidu said. “Now I say that those with fewer children will not be allowed to contest elections. In the future, you will become a sarpanch, municipal councillor or mayor only if you have more than two children. I am going to include this in the proposed rules.”State fertility rates and demographic concernsSouth Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, have adhered to the two-child policy, resulting in a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.73, which is below the national average of 2.1. In contrast, states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand have a higher TFR of 2.4.
Naidu highlighted the need to address these disparities, warning that the current trend could lead to challenges similar to those faced by countries like Japan and South Korea. “This is a wake-up call for India too as we have been incentivising the family planning concept and restricting families to have a limited number of children. 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.
Proposed incentives for larger familiesIn addition to election eligibility, Naidu proposed providing more subsidised rice to families with more children. Currently, there is a cap of 25 kilograms of subsidised rice per family, with each member receiving 5 kilograms. He suggested revising this policy to support larger families.Naidu emphasized that India’s demographic strategy could yield significant benefits if addressed proactively. “But if we react to the situation with the right policies, India could reap great demographic dividends by 2047,” he said.Broader implications of the proposalThe proposal has sparked discussions across states, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also echoing the need for higher birth rates. Naidu’s policy shift marks a significant departure from traditional family planning strategies, raising questions about its long-term impact on population dynamics and governance.