Kurnool: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, participating in International Women’s Day celebrations at Markapuram in Prakasam district, declared that his government will offer additional benefits, including maternity leave and Thalliki Vandanam, to large families with five or six children.Speaking on the occasion, the AP CM said a common belief in the past had been that more children slow down a family’s growth. He recalled that in a developed country like China, families had once been encouraged to have fewer children. Because of that, many elderly people now face the problem of not having family members to share their success, inherit property or support them during health emergencies. “This calls for a change in strategy. Andhra Pradesh must act early by promoting larger families for the benefit of both families and the nation,” Chandrababu Naidu underlined, saying population control measures might be eased in the future. He pointed out that states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh already have large populations. The Chief Minister expressed concern that the number of children in Andhra Pradesh is gradually decreasing, with many families having only one or two children. In a lighter vein, he referred to the rule that those contesting local body elections must not have more than two children.“We may now have to bring in a law that bars those with fewer than two children from contesting the elections,” he remarked.Chandrababu Naidu emphasised that his government has already announced financial support to families with any number of children under the Thalliki Vandanam scheme. He reaffirmed that this support will continue. The CM disclosed that a new announcement regarding more benefits for larger families will be made shortly.
Source link
