IN REMARKS that could trigger a fresh debate on population control, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while expressing concern over ageing population in the southern states has urged people in his state to have more children. He also said that his government is planning to bring in legislation to make only those with more than two children eligible to contest local body elections.
“We are thinking of providing incentives to families with more children, encouraging couples to have more children,” Naidu said Saturday after flagging off the resumption of construction work at Amaravati that had been halted under the previous government.
“We have repealed the earlier law barring people with more than two children from contesting local body elections,” he said, referring to the August 7 state Cabinet decision. “We will bring in a new law to make only those with more than two children eligible to contest.’’
In many districts, Naidu said, villages had only elderly people as the younger generation migrated to other parts of the country and abroad. He said India’s average population growth has declined from 6.2 per cent in the 1950s to 2.1 in 2021, and that in Andhra Pradesh, the number has come down to 1.6 per cent.
“We are already in deficit. Having less than two children leads to the rapid decline of the young population. Having more than two children will ensure a stable population,” he said.
“We have a demographic advantage only till 2047. After 2047, there will be more elderly people than young in Andhra Pradesh. It is already happening in Japan, China, and many countries of Europe,” Naidu said. “Having more children is also your responsibility. You are not doing it for yourself, it is also for the benefit of the nation, it is a service to society.”
Naidu has expressed similar concerns in the past, saying that while the average age of the state’s population is currently 32, it would be 40 by 2047.
“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.
On Sunday, while the BJP chose silence over the remarks, K C Tyagi, a senior leader of the JD(U) — another NDA ally — said he disagreed with Naidu.
“Chandrababu Naidu may have his own ideas on population control, but we have a different opinion,” Tyagi told The Indian Express. “Different parties in an alliance can have different opinions on some issues. From the UN to the Centre, everyone agrees that too much population can create a food crisis.”
“Bihar has had a problem of high population growth but Nitish Kumar’s policy of educating girls is showing results and the fertility rate of Bihar is gradually coming down. This non-coercive model of Nitish Kumar that does not need the enactment of a law but provides the ground through education for population growth to come down is the way forward,” Tyagi said.
A BJP spokesperson said, “We don’t want to say anything on this.” Leaders of other NDA allies did not respond to calls.
According to the 2011 census, the median age of states in the south — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana — is already higher than several northern states. The median age of Kerala was 31.9 years in 2011, followed by Tamil Nadu (29.9); Andhra Pradesh (27.6); Karnataka (27.4); and Telangana (26.7). In comparison, in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar the median age was 21.5 years and 19.9 years, respectively.
With Vikas Pathak & Nikhila Henry in New Delhi
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during the inauguration of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) project works. (PTI Photo) 
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