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World / India

Indian southern state's chief appeals for population growth

Published: 16 May 2026 - 05:57 pm | Last Updated: 16 May 2026 - 06:04 pm
A general view of houses along the hilltop as seen from Indru Nag near Dharamsala on May 15, 2026. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

A general view of houses along the hilltop as seen from Indru Nag near Dharamsala on May 15, 2026. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

Xinhua

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister of India's southern state Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, appealed to the people of his state on Saturday to have more children, citing a decline in the population due to falling fertility rates over the years.

He also announced financial incentives of 30,000 Indian Rupees (around 313 U.S. dollars) and 40,000 Indian Rupees for couples who gave birth to their third and fourth child, respectively, in the state.

Promising to announce further details of the financial incentive scheme soon, the chief minister stated that declining populations and ageing societies in several countries had negatively affected their economies.