File picture: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu | Photo Credit: BCCL

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday offered incentives to young couples who want to have more than two children. He also did away with the rule that barred candidates with more than two children from contesting in the upcoming civic body elections.

Mentioning that the state has witnessed a drop in population by 1.6 per cent in the last 10 years, he said: “It is high time to correct the trends indicating demographic imbalances, lest the state may turn senile in the next two decades, marked by more eating mouths and less working hands,” reports Hindustan Times.

He also said that the implementation of family planning measure by the Centre was the reason for low birth rates in Andhra Pradesh. Naidu even cited data to show that infant mortality rate in the region has been brought down from 37 per 1,000 in 2014 to 10.51 per 1,000 in 2018.

As per 2011 population census, Andhra Pradesh is the 10th most populated state in the country with a population of 8.46 crore before Telangana was bifurcated from it.

The move comes in as an attempt to avail certain population-based benefits which are extended by the 15th Finance Commission.