CM Naidu: "Children Are Wealth; Without Them, We Will Have to Serve Machines"

Speaking at a public gathering in Machavaram, Konaseema district, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu made a passionate appeal to families to have more children. He observed that many young couples are choosing not to have children or stopping at just one because they worry that raising them is too difficult and expensive. Urging parents to change their perspective, Naidu insisted that children are not a financial burden but a family's and society's true wealth. He cautioned that if families stop having children, the human workforce will shrink dramatically and "we will be left serving machines".

Naidu openly acknowledged the complete turnaround in his own stance over the decades. In the 1990s, when India faced rapid population growth, he heavily campaigned for strict family planning and introduced the rule barring people with more than two children from contesting local polls. However, he explained that the state now faces the opposite crisis: Andhra Pradesh's fertility rate has fallen to nearly 1.5-well below the replacement level of 2.1-while the state’s average age (32.5 years) is rising faster than the national average (28 years). Warning that ignoring this trend could push the state into a severe labor shortage and economic distress like Japan and parts of Europe, he said it has become a historical necessity to ask families to expand.

To back this demographic push with practical help, Naidu reiterated that the government is providing direct financial incentives under its new population management policy. Under this framework, the Andhra Pradesh government will give families a cash incentive of ₹30,000 upon the birth of a third child and ₹40,000 for a fourth child to ease initial healthcare and child-rearing expenses. In addition to these payouts, the state is supporting families through welfare measures like the 'Thalliki Vandanam' school assistance scheme and expanded maternity and paternity leaves to ensure raising children is manageable for parents.