The government of India’s Andhra Pradesh state has taken an unusual step to address the steadily declining birth rate in the region.
According to Indian media reports, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced that families would receive 30,000 Indian rupees on the birth of a third child and 40,000 Indian rupees on the birth of a fourth child.
Chandrababu Naidu said that with rising incomes, most couples now preferred to have only one child and considered a second child only if the first child was not a boy.
He warned that the continued decline in the birth rate could affect long-term population stability and said an increase in the birth rate was necessary to maintain demographic balance.
