In a move aimed at boosting the state’s population growth, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the government plans to raise the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of the state from its current 1.5 to 2.1. This rate, which measures the number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, is below the replacement level and has been identified as an area of concern by the government.
To incentivize couples to have more children, Naidu proposed offering Rs 25,000 for each additional child. This initiative is part of a broader population management policy that the government aims to unveil by the end of March and implement from April.
Emphasizing the need for population management, Naidu highlighted the challenges faced by several countries as a result of ageing populations. He also proposed a new population care framework built on five pillars: Matrutva, Shakti, Naipunyam, Kshema, and Sanjeevani.
The Matrutva pillar aims to address teenage pregnancies by reducing the rate from 8.8 percent to below 3 percent through measures such as tracking school absenteeism and preventing child marriages. The Kshema pillar will address the challenges of an ageing population by engaging 50,000 retired professionals over the next ten years in mentoring and flexible employment, as well as implementing initiatives like 15 days of leave for preventive health care.
The Naipunyam pillar will focus on skill development to meet future workforce needs and support the talent pool, while the Sanjeevani pillar is expected to address other aspects of population management. The government also plans to rationalize caesarean sections by bringing them below 40 percent, including withdrawal of incentives for private C-sections and mandatory clinical audits to reduce such procedures.
This new approach marks a shift from the earlier population-control approach, signaling a more nuanced and comprehensive strategy for managing population growth in Andhra Pradesh.
