A.P. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launches ‘Pillale Sampada’ scheme to achieve demographic stability

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the launch of ‘Pillale Sampada’scheme at a World Population Day programme organised by the government here on Saturday.

Under the scheme, a financial assistance of ₹30,000 will be given for the birth of a third child and ₹40,000 for the birth of a fourth one. This is to encourage balanced population growth in view of the importance of achieving demographic stability.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naidu said maintaining a healthy working-age population was essential for the State’s economic development, industrial growth, social welfare programmes, and future productivity.

He said population preservation, not population control, was the need of the hour, as the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) around the world was steadily declining. A rule had been introduced in the past disqualifying people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. “But this has been revoked, taking the prevailing circumstances into consideration,” the Chief Minister said, and observed that the importance of population management was being widely discussed nowadays to bring about the required demographic change.

Mr. Naidu said the TFR in Andhra Pradesh should increase as development would be meaningful only when there was sufficient population, and expressed concern at the growing preference among young people for micro-families.

He observed that population was declining significantly in around 40 countries, and a similar trend could be seen in South India. Also, the number of children in Anganwadi Centres and schools was declining even as the elderly population was rapidly increasing. “Though A.P. ranks seventh in geographical area, its population density is comparatively low,” he said.

Further, the Chief Minister said steps were taken for the empowerment of women so that they would become entrepreneurs, and prove their mettle in various other fields.

For balanced regional development, industries and development projects were being established across all regions, he noted, and insisted that population manaement assumed special significance in the context of the focus laid by the government on reducing economic disparities and providing better quality of life for everyone.

Raising children was not the sole responsibility of women, he said, and stressed the need to reduce the number of ceasarean deliveries in order to protect women’s health.