Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP from Vizianagaram, Kalisetty Appalanaidu, has announced incentives for women giving birth to a third child, a move that has sparked widespread discussion in Andhra Pradesh. According to a statement from the Andhra Pradesh Information & Public Relations Department, Appalanaidu’s offer includes a payment of Rs 50,000 from his salary if the third child is a girl and a cow if the child is a boy.
Addressing a gathering at Rajiv Sports Compound in Vizianagaram on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Appalanaidu said, “If a woman gives birth to a third child who is a girl, Rs 50,000 will be paid to her from my salary, and if that child is a boy, a cow will be handed over to her”, news agency ANI reported.
Appalanaidu’s statement aligns with ongoing discussions regarding the state’s declining youth population. Last year, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urged women to have more children.
Appalanaidu told The Indian Express, “My announcement follows calls by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Naidu on steps to be taken for population growth, along with the offers given by both of them for having a third child. We are asking women to have more children, and we will provide incentives if a third child is born.”
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu Modifies State’s Maternity Leave Policy
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has also announced a significant measure to support more childbirths. At a programme organised in Markapur, Prakasam district, on International Women’s Day, Naidu declared that maternity leave would be granted to all women employees irrespective of the number of children they have, ANI reported. The Chief Minister emphasised that women should have as many children as possible to help increase Andhra Pradesh’s youth population.
Naidu’s announcement followed a query from a woman constable to the Home Minister about whether maternity leave would be granted beyond two deliveries. Until now, women employees, including police personnel, were entitled to six months of paid maternity leave only for two deliveries. Now, maternity leave will be available for all parturitions.
According to The Indian Express, Home Minister V Anitha also confirmed that maternity leave provisions would be extended to women police constables regardless of the number of children.
Appalanaidu, a first-time MP and a journalist-turned-politician, has been associated with the TDP for over 25 years. Before contesting the 2024 elections, he was involved in training TDP cadres on governance issues and served as in-charge of the party’s North Andhra training institute in Vizianagaram.
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