Andhra: Just 2 children? Sorry, no election ticket, says CM Naidu
AP CM had earlier flagged falling birth rates, saying India should not repeat mistakes committed by other countries like South Korea and Japan
In a bid to increase Andhra Pradesh’s population, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has decreed that only those with more than two children can contest in the sarpanch, municipal councillor or mayor elections.
Naidu told the media at Tirupati that he will unveil policies to encourage people to have more children.
More children and elections
"At one time, individuals with many children were not allowed to contest the panchayat (election) or local bodies. Now what I am saying is that individuals with lower numbers of children cannot contest,” he said.
“You will be a sarpanch, municipal councillor, corporation chairman or a mayor only if you have more than two children,” he reiterated.
Also read: Andhra Pradesh: Naidu govt scraps two-child rule to contest civic polls
According to the chief minister, northern India may lose its advantage of having a stable fertility rate in about 15 years.
Naidu said the older generations had more children while the current generation brought it down to one child.
"Your parents bore four to five children and you reduced it to one. Smarter people now say double-income-no-kids, let us enjoy. If their parents had thought like them, they would not have come into this world," he said.
He said since the importance of having more children was not stressed, the situation has gone out of hand.
Watch | More kids or MPs will not improve economy: Economist K Prabhakar | Interview
South Korea, Japan
He cited the examples of South Korea, Japan and continental Europe to say that people in these places did not realise the danger of plummeting populations but only focused on creating wealth and raising income.
"Now they need people, we have to send them,” said Naidu.
Early this month, Naidu flagged the falling birth rates in the country and said India should not repeat the mistakes committed by other countries such as South Korea and Japan where birth rates have plummeted.
Demographic dangers
In October last year, Naidu had warned that there was a need to manage the population in Andhra Pradesh given that there will be an increase in the ageing population.
"Till 2047, we will have the demographic dividend, there will be more youngsters. After 2047, there will be more old people…if less than two children are given birth (per woman), then the population will reduce. If you (each woman) give birth to more than two children, then the population will increase," Naidu had said.