Andhra MP’s incentive to women for third child: Rs 50k for a girl, cow for a boy

A Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP has offered an incentive of Rs 50,000 from his own pocket to each woman in his constituency giving birth to a third child if the baby is a girl and a cow and a calf if the child is a boy.

This comes after his party chief Chandrababu Naidu, who is the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, worried about an ageing population in South India, exhorted families in October to have more children.

The chief minister has praised Vizianagaram MP Kalisetti Appala Naidu for offering to pay the incentive from his salary. TDP leaders are re-posting the “revolutionary” announcement on their social media accounts.

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Appala Naidu’s offer

Appala Naidu said he will deposit the money in favour of the newly born girl child in the form of a fixed deposit, which could compound up to Rs 10 lakh by her marriage age.

“If the third child is a boy, we will give a cow and a calf. We’ll make a fixed deposit of Rs 50,000 if the third child is a baby girl. The Indian population has to rise,” Appala Naidu told news agency PTI on Sunday (March 9).

Promising to extend this offer to every woman in his constituency, Appala Naidu recalled that he was encouraged by several women in politics and life, who included his mother, wife, sisters and daughter.

Further, he observed that encouraging women is also the need of the hour as they face discrimination.

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Women’s Day announcements

The MP chose International Women’s Day (March 8) to make the announcement in public during an event at the Rajiv Sports compound in Vizianagaram.

Also on Saturday, Chandrababu Naidu announced at a Women’s Day event at Markapur in Prakasam district that all female government employees will be granted maternity leave irrespective of the number of children they have.

“Previously, maternity leave was limited to two children. Now, we are extending maternity leave to cover all children, regardless of the number. This move aims to encourage family growth, address population balance, and support women in balancing their professional and personal lives. We are committed to empowering women and build a stronger future for Andhra Pradesh,” he posted on X.

(With agency inputs)