The Andhra Pradesh govt has proposed a cash incentive of Rs 25,000 for couples who have a third child. CM Chandrababu Naidu announced this on Thursday, March 5, while revealing a draft population management policy in the state Assembly. This policy outlines various measures to address the declining birth rate.
Andhra Pradesh propose incentives of Rs 25,000
The government also plans to provide Rs 1,000 per month as nutrition support for the third child for five years, along with free education until the child turns 18. To promote childbirth, the government intends to offer 12 months of maternal leave and two months of paternal leave.
Expressing concern over the state’s current Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.5, he mentioned that the government aims to raise the TFR to 2.1, which is ideal for maintaining demographic balance.
Policy will effective from 1 april
CM Chandrababu said that this population management policy, the first of its kind in the country, will significantly increase the population. He announced that the ‘Population Management’ policy document will be available online for everyone. The Chief Minister suggested that public representatives in each constituency discuss this issue with the community for a month.
The policy finalized by the end of this month and take effect on April 1. He mentioned that changes made to the policy after reviewing results in a year.
The Chief Minister expressed serious concern about the falling TFR in Andhra Pradesh, which has dropped from 3.0 in 1993 to 1.5 now. He noted that this trend threatens economic growth due to a decrease in the number of young workers.
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