Latest news with #populationpolicy
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Why politicians in India are offering cows and cash to encourage having kids
A politician in southern India has offered new parents 50,000 rupees ($911) if they have a third child, as long as it's a girl. If it's a boy, the offer is a cow. The promise from Kalisetti Appalanaidu, an MP from the state of Andhra Pradesh, reflects heightened anxiety over population in southern India. Leaders in some of India's biggest southern states are now offering incentives for people to have bigger families — a dramatic shift in a country that, for more than 50 years, actively promoted smaller families. The reversal in population policy comes as India prepares for a long-delayed national census and a political process known as delimitation, which could dramatically reshape who holds power in the country's parliament. Delimitation is the redrawing of the boundaries of India's parliamentary constituencies based on population. The ongoing process was frozen in 1976 so that nationwide family planning efforts did not affect states' political representation in the union. However, the Modi government has indicated it will restart the process of delimitation after India conducts its census in 2027. The goal is to ensure that each elected representative in India's lower house, the Lok Sabha, represents roughly the same number of people. But this has sparked concerns in India's south. For decades, states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had reduced their birth rates through proactive family planning policies. In contrast, many northern states have higher fertility rates. Under the delimitation formula, states with faster-growing populations could gain more seats in parliament, while states that have successfully curbed their population growth may lose political influence. Seeing a loss of political power on the horizon, some leaders are urging citizens to reverse decades of population control and start having more children. Both Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have spoken publicly about the need for population growth to protect their states' political representation. Mr Stalin encouraged his constituents to start having children "immediately". In the meantime, there have been calls for the redrawing of boundaries to be delayed. "We have requested that the delimitation freeze be extended for another 25 years," said Manu Sundaram, a spokesperson for Tamil Nadu's ruling party, the DMK. In 2004, then-treasurer Peter Costello introduced a baby bonus — a one-time cash payment of up to $5,000 for new parents. The goal was to encourage population growth. It appeared to modestly increase the birth rate before it was eventually scrapped in 2014. In India, while politicians worry about seats in parliament, many families say that getting by is the priority — and that cash handouts won't change their reality. Malleshwari, a 28-year-old woman from a tribal community in Andhra Pradesh, has one child and says that is enough. "Considering the uncertainties of health and life, I would rather have one child and give them everything I can," she said. She said she believed the government needed to change its priorities if it really wanted to support families. "The main focus should be on education. The government must provide free and quality education. Not just academic, but life and vocational skills," she said. "Simply offering money as an incentive to have children will not be enough or widely accepted." Keshav, a 32-year-old tribal man working with an NGO, said his own upbringing had been marked by poverty and domestic violence and he did not want to see that cycle repeated. "Without being able to provide a good education, financial stability and a healthy lifestyle, I don't think it's right to bring more children into this world," he said. Those working closely with women and health care in southern India say the proposed strategy is misguided. Andhra Pradesh women's advocate Keerthi Bollineni said short-term cash incentives missed the bigger picture. "Sustainable population growth is essential," she said. Andhra Pradesh MP Appala Naidu has acknowledged women need more support — and part of his plan has been to promise greater access to maternity leave. But these moves are unlikely to have a measurable effect before the census in 2027. Dr Geetha Devi, a gynaecologist with more than 30 years of experience in Andhra Pradesh, said she was already seeing the limitations of the politicians' approach. She said investment in health care needed to be the priority. "To some extent [the incentives] may work. But educated and working women, I don't think they will be influenced by 50,000 rupees and a cow," she said. "Nowadays I see many families having a single child … I know many people who are having only one child in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other southern states." "If you encourage population growth, we have to improve our healthcare system first," she said. "The public health system lacks doctors, functioning equipment and even basic repairs. Many centres are short on staff."
NHK
06-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Vietnam ends two-child policy to tackle falling birthrate
Vietnam has abolished its two-child policy, a long-standing regulation meant to keep a lid on population size. The change has been spurred by falling birth rates, a trend that has raised concerns about future economic growth. A state-run media report said the National Assembly had passed the amendments on Tuesday. The old ordinance limited families to no more than two children. Vietnam's population is still on the rise, but birth rates are declining in Ho Chi Minh City and other urban areas. Experts project the working population will peak around 2040. Policymakers are concerned an ageing society will put future economic growth at risk. A similar decline in birth rates is happening in other parts of Southeast Asia. Social empowerment of women is one reason that's often cited, along with the rising cost of raising children as economies develop.
Washington Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Vietnam drops two-child policy amid demographic fears
Vietnam on Tuesday scrapped its nearly four-decade policy limiting families to two children, as Vietnamese birth rates continue to drop, the aging population increases and officials warn of long-term risks of demographic decline for the economy, defense and the fabric of society. The National Assembly removed a clause in the country's population ordinance that says parents should have 'one or two children' except in government-approved 'special cases,' state-run media reported.
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
South Korea offers cash for marriage to tackle birth-rate crisis
Published: 9:09am, 24 May 2025 As South Korea continues to grapple with plummeting birth rates and fears of regional depopulation, local governments are now expanding their efforts beyond childbirth subsidies to include cash incentives for marriage, covering everything from first dates to engagement and honeymoon expenses. While the urgency is clear, critics argue that these one-off financial incentives may do little to address the structural challenges behind delayed or declining marriage rates. In Busan's Saha district, local authorities have promised up to 20 million won (US$14,700) in payments to couples who marry after taking part in a matchmaking event organised by the district. Additional benefits include 500,000 won for dating expenses, 1 million won for engagement meeting costs and a 10 million won travel subsidy. 'This is one component of our population policy to counter the crisis of low birth rates and regional decline,' a district official said, adding that no couples had received the full payment yet. Other municipalities across the country are rolling out similar initiatives. In South Gyeongsang province's Geochang county, newlyweds aged 19 to 45 who live there for more than three months receive 600,000 won annually for three years.
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
South Korea offers up to US$29,000 cash for marriage to tackle birth-rate crisis
As South Korea continues to grapple with plummeting birth rates and fears of regional depopulation, local governments are now expanding their efforts beyond childbirth subsidies to include cash incentives for marriage, covering everything from first dates to engagement and honeymoon expenses. Advertisement While the urgency is clear, critics argue that these one-off financial incentives may do little to address the structural challenges behind delayed or declining marriage rates. In Busan's Saha district, local authorities have promised up to 20 million won (US$14,700) in payments to couples who marry after taking part in a matchmaking event organised by the district. Additional benefits include 500,000 won for dating expenses, 1 million won for engagement meeting costs and a 10 million won travel subsidy. 'This is one component of our population policy to counter the crisis of low birth rates and regional decline,' a district official said, adding that no couples had received the full payment yet. Advertisement Other municipalities across the country are rolling out similar initiatives. In South Gyeongsang province's Geochang county, newlyweds aged 19 to 45 who live there for more than three months receive 600,000 won annually for three years.
