Why are leaders from Southern Indian states urging people to increase birth rate?
On October 20, 2024, the Times of India reported that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu urged southern states to encourage families to have more children, highlighting concerns over an aging population. Naidu shared that the Andhra Pradesh government is considering legislation to promote families having more than two children. He even suggested that only families with over two children might be eligible to participate in municipal voting.
A previous rule preventing candidates with more than two children from contesting local elections has now been reversed. Naidu emphasized that youth migration is worsening the issue of aging populations and pointed out that the fertility rate in southern states has dropped to 1.6, well below India’s national average of 2.1.
Drawing comparisons with Japan and China, he stressed the need for population management to prevent socio-economic challenges by 2047. He added that earlier policies aimed at conserving resources have led to unforeseen problems, calling for a review and update of outdated approaches.
Following N. Chandrababu Naidu's appeal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also encouraged families to consider having more children, though with less intensity. This call sparked curiosity, raising questions about the intentions behind it and the potential political consequences.
India pioneered a national family planning program in 1952, a first globally, when the country’s fertility rate stood at 5.9. Since then, birth rates have declined significantly in South Indian states compared to northern regions. In 1976, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi responded to this by freezing the number of parliamentary seats allocated to each state, ensuring that states effectively managing population growth would not face political drawbacks.
The upcoming 2026 delimitation process could disrupt the long-standing freeze on parliamentary seat allocations, potentially impacting South Indian states' political representation. These states, which have effectively managed population growth through robust family planning, worry that shifting to a population-based model for representation may lessen their influence in the Indian Parliament.
In a September 2023 report, India Today noted that all major political parties in Tamil Nadu voiced strong support for the Union government’s 33% women’s reservation bill. However, they also expressed concerns about the looming delimitation. Observers pointed out that statements from the BJP-led central government suggested that women’s reservation might only take effect after the next census and delimitation. This has heightened concerns that a population-focused approach could weaken the political standing of South Indian states, despite their successful population control efforts.
The report further highlighted Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's remark, calling the impending delimitation a “sword of Damocles” hanging over the South, urging the central government to consider the unique position of these states. DMK MP Kanimozhi and Congress MP Karti Chidambaram echoed these concerns, warning that South India risks reduced representation in Parliament despite contributing a major share of tax revenue to the Centre. Ironically, even Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai opposed population-based delimitation, advocating for a more balanced approach that respects the interests of all stakeholders.
In 2021, the Finance Commission made a notable choice by using 2011 census data to determine tax revenue distribution between the Centre and the states. This approach, seen as an indirect result of the upcoming delimitation, has stirred frustration in the South, where effective population control measures appear to be resulting in reduced fiscal and political leverage.
Reports from India Today and Outlook indicate that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had previously voiced strong opposition to the 15th Finance Commission's recommendations to replace the 1971 census data with the 2011 census for tax revenue allocation. He urged the Southern states to oppose this shift, fearing that states like Karnataka, which have implemented effective population control, could be disadvantaged under the new formula.
With shifting political winds, Southern leaders are now discussing the potential benefits of higher birth rates as a response to these perceived demographic challenges. Many residents feel that their commitment to family planning has led to reduced tax shares and may lead to diminished representation in Parliament. This sentiment has even sparked a reconsideration of long-standing family planning initiatives, as some argue that higher birth rates could help secure greater political influence and economic stability amid evolving national policies.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
