Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday announced a “comprehensive population management policy”, noting that the government is shifting its focus from traditional family planning to “population care” in view of declining fertility rates and future demographic challenges.
Presenting the draft policy document in the state legislative assembly, Naidu said that about three lakh families, representing 58% of the total number, have only one child, while about 2.17 lakh families have two or more children.
The Prime Minister explained that the state’s total fertility rate currently stands at 1.5, a sharp decline from 3.0 recorded in 1993, while the ideal level should be 2.1 to maintain demographic balance. He explained that if the total fertility rate continues to decline rapidly, the number of working-age people could decline significantly, which could lead to a slowdown in economic growth.
It is certain that India’s total fertility rate currently stands at 1.9.
The decline in population is a concern for almost all the southern states, which are eyeing a possible decline in their proportional representation in the Lok Sabha after the next delimitation exercise (which will happen after the ongoing national census). Naidu himself had spoken about the need for a population policy last year, as had Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
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“People are our strength,” Naidu said in July 2025. “Population is our strongest economic resource. The world is increasingly dependent on countries with large populations. Earlier, I promoted family planning but now I am emphasizing the need for population management. To avoid a human resource crisis in the future, state fertility rate must rise. Joint families are disappearing. There is growing concern about population decline in south India. While Parliament seats may increase in the future, southern states could see low representation.”
Thursday focused more on the economic repercussions.
“As economies grow, birth rates tend to decline, which can lead to workforce shortages and long-term economic challenges,” Naidu said.
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The incentives proposed in the new policy include: $25,000 at birth for couples having a second or third child; $1000 per month in food support for five years for the third child; Free education until the age of 18 for all children.
The government is also considering 10 months of maternity leave (instead of six months) for women with a third child, and two months of paternity leave for men.
The Prime Minister said that this policy has become crucial for the country as fertility rates are steadily declining, a trend already seen in countries such as Japan, South Korea and Italy.
Citing 2023 data, Naidu said around 6.7 lakh births were registered in the state during the year. He added that if the current trend continues, 23% of the state’s population could be over 60 years of age by 2047, which will pose challenges to the economy and social welfare systems.
Naidu said the policy will adopt a five-stage life cycle approach to population management, built on five key pillars – Matrutvam (motherhood), Shakti (empowerment), Kashima (well-being), Nipuniyam (skills) and Sanjivani (healthcare).
The Prime Minister said the government plans to provide support to women at every stage of life – from pregnancy to old age – while helping couples facing fertility problems.
Naidu said the government is considering setting up centers of excellence for maternity care, where IVF (in vitro fertilization) services will be provided under the public-private partnership (PPP) model with subsidies.
The Prime Minister also announced several measures aimed at increasing women’s participation in the workforce.
He noted that the state’s female labor force participation rate currently stands at 31%, and if it rises to 59%, the state’s GDP could increase by about 15%. The measures include setting up child care centers and women’s toilets in workplaces with at least 50 children, introducing ‘She Cabs’ for women’s safety, and building a hostel for working women in Visakhapatnam at a cost $172 Crores.
The Prime Minister said that the draft population management policy will be uploaded online to seek public comments.
Naidu said the government plans to finalize the policy by the end of this month and implement it from April 1.
