Andhra Pradesh announces cash incentives for third, fourth child births

India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh has announced cash incentives for families having a third and fourth child, in a policy shift aimed at addressing declining birth rates.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said families will receive 30,000 rupees for the birth of a third child and 40,000 rupees for a fourth child under a new state-backed support scheme.

Speaking at a public event in Srikakulam district’s Narasannapeta on Saturday (May 16), Naidu said, “In the past, I worked for family planning. But now, children are our asset.”

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader has repeatedly raised concerns over declining fertility rates and urged India not to follow the demographic trends of countries such as South Korea and Japan.

He stressed the need to maintain a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 for population stability.

According to NDTV, analysts suggest the announcement may also be linked to the central government’s proposed delimitation exercise, which could redistribute parliamentary seats based on population figures.