The Question is... Is South India Being Punished for Better Governance?
In today's edition of 'The Question is..?' we ask the crucial questions on governance. Support us so that we can to help bring you more such stories.
Dear Reader,
On Monday morning, statements made by two chief ministers from South India urging people to have more children, caught my attention.
While Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern over the rise in ageing population in South India, his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin highlighted potential changes in its Parliament representation due to the delimitation exercise in 2026.
After doing some research, I realised that India is not only experiencing a rapid decline in its fertility rate but is also ageing much faster. Basically, in the next 26 years, one in every five persons are expected to be above 60 years of age. It's particularly serious in South India.
According to the India Ageing Report, the elderly population in southern states— Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana— is likely to rise by 6-7 percent of its total population between 2021 and 2036, as compared to states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where the rise will be around 3-4 percent.
So, The Question Is… Are Southern States Paying the Price for Effectively Promoting Family Planning?
When the Family Planning programme was introduced across India, all states were given uniform targets to reduce their fertility rates. Cut to the present day, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data reveals that the total fertility rate (TFR) in South India is below the national average of 2.0 children per woman. Many states are yet to achieve this.
The concerns of Naidu and Stalin are not unfounded. With South India staring at a demographic crisis, it could lead to “political, social, and economic” consequences in the coming years, experts told The Quint.
This is evident with the five states losing their revenue shares from the Union government due to their low population. Adding to this is the fear of delimitation which, if estimates are to be believed, will lead to a cumulative loss of 24 seats across the five states just because of lower population growth rate.
But The Question Is… Will Having More Children Solve the Problem?
Though countries like Japan, China, Singapore, and European countries have tried to adopt pro-natalist policies, they have been met with very little success.
So, what’s the way forward? How can the Centre ensure that Southern states with better performance indicators are not punished? Read the full report HERE to find out.
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Thank you,
VARSHA SRIRAM
Senior Correspondent
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