Naidu pitches shift from population control to management

Vijayawada: Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said Andhra Pradesh would move from a population-control approach to a population-management strategy to counter the long-term challenges posed by demographic decline in terms of economy and social stability.

Naidu said the govt intends to launch a public consultation process before rolling out a programme tentatively titled “Pillale Sampada” (children are wealth). He stressed that children should be viewed as an asset for society and the economy.Speaking at a World Population Day programme in Vijayawada, Naidu said the govt previously focused on population control through various policy measures, including disqualifying people with more than two children from contesting local body elections.The chief minister said both the state and the country need higher fertility rates to sustain future growth. Referring to declining birth rates in several countries, he observed that development in the future would increasingly depend on the availability of human resources.Citing demographic indicators, he said population decline is becoming a concern in several parts of the world, and southern Indian states are witnessing similar trends.

He noted that enrolment in anganwadis and schools is declining, while the elderly population is increasing. He also expressed concern over the growing preference among some couples to remain childless.The chief minister urged young people not to embrace what he described as “micro families” and instead highlighted the role of the traditional joint-family system in providing social support. He said raising children is a shared responsibility of families and society and not the responsibility of women alone.Naidu linked demographic management with the state’s long-term economic goals, saying Andhra Pradesh is working to improve living standards through industrialisation, women-led entrepreneurship, welfare initiatives and balanced regional development. He said adequate population levels would be essential to achieving the state’s development targets.The chief minister released a Population Management Framework document at the event. NTR district collector G Lakshmisha, health and family welfare principal secretary M T Krishna Babu (or Suresh Kumar per programme note), Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Rammohan, and other officials were present.