Historic Shift: AP Ends 2-Child Policy After 30 Years!

With the lifting of the three-decade-old two-child restriction that prohibited those with more than two children from competing for local government, Andhra Pradesh has entered a new era. This change was brought about by the state government enacting two important bills on Monday: the AP Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the AP Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The two-child norm, in existence since 1994, was intended to control the population by restricting the number of children candidates might have in order to compete for local body elections.

The government's 1994 initial policy prohibited people with more than two children from running for office in local governing bodies such as Mandal Praja Parishads, Zilla Parishads, or Gram Panchayats. The administration implemented this rule in an effort to curb the state's population increase.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has insisted that the state's effective family planning initiatives make it acceptable to encourage individuals to have more children. He believes that this shift is essential for economic growth. He pointed out that the state's population growth is slowing down because Andhra Pradesh's general fertility rate is currently far lower than the replacement level.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the state's fertility rate has dropped to 1.7 children per woman, which is less than the replacement norm of 2.1 children per woman. Given that most families decide to have fewer children, the administration sees an opportunity to modernize the program. Instead of limiting families, the state's new approach seems to be to promote expansion, one child at a time.