AP now focuses on increasing population, feels optimum use of HRD is need of the hour

Secretary, Health, Medical & Family Welfare Sourabh Gaur on Thursday presented Andhra Pradesh's transformative approach to population management and human resource development as the third sutra in Padi Sutralu under Swarna Andhra Vision 2047 at the 5th Collectors' Conference here.

The presentation marked a significant policy shift from population control to population sustainability, with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu emphasizing the urgent need to address the State's declining fertility rate and improve overall health outcomes.

The Secretary highlighted alarming demographic trends showing Andhra Pradesh is ageing faster than India, with a median age of 32.5 years compared to the national average of 28.4 years. More critically, the State's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 1.5, well below the replacement level of 2.1, placing Andhra Pradesh on a trajectory similar to developed economies facing demographic crisis. The State has only a demographic window until 2040 before the dependency ratio skews heavily towards the elderly population.

The Chief Minister, who was once a champion of family planning initiatives, emphasized the dramatic shift in policy priorities required to address current demographic challenges. "We are now facing the same problem that developed nations are experiencing - a growing non-working aged population. Our focus must shift to enabling and incentivizing families to have children," Saurabh Gaur stated, suggesting a "second child onwards" incentive principle similar to models implemented in France and Hungary to arrest the TFR decline and avoid future demographic collapse.

In a groundbreaking initiative, he presented the plans of the establishment of fertility colleges as Centers of Excellence for reproductive medicine. This first-of-its-kind public sector initiative will train professionals and provide state-supported IVF treatment for couples facing infertility challenges, addressing a critical barrier to sustainable population growth.

Gaur outlined a comprehensive life-cycle approach to population management encompassing five strategic pillars: Supportive Fertility Ecosystem, Preventive Healthcare through the Sanchara Chikitsa concept, Augmenting Lifelong Skilling through a Skill Passport System starting from Grade 6, Incentivizing Women Workforce Participation through safe mobility and mandatory crèches, and active ageing & community through establishment of elderly clubs at the mandal level.

The Secretary highlighted a significant economic opportunity: closing the female workforce participation gap from the current 31% to match the male participation rate of 59% can boost the State's GSDP by 15%. To achieve this, the government will implement women-friendly transport systems and mandatory crèches in major workplaces to reduce the "motherhood penalty" on careers.

On healthcare outcomes, the Secretary set ambitious targets to reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio from the current 30 to global best standards (below 5, matching Norway, Poland and Belarus) and Infant Mortality Rate from approximately 17 to below 2 (matching Singapore and Iceland). The Sanjeevani platform will provide personalized care coordination tracking high-risk pregnancies and chronic diseases, integrating PHC-CHC-District workflows for seamless care.

Earlier, Naidu raised serious concerns about public health challenges beyond demographic management. "Food adulteration is our biggest problem today. Fatty liver has become the biggest health issue. The use of vaccines and growth promoters in poultry is affecting overall health," the Chief Minister stated emphatically. He directed the Animal Husbandry Department to work on reducing growth promoters given to birds, keeping overall public health in mind, and stressed the need for hygienic and healthy food without adulteration.

The Secretary announced several institutional initiatives, including District Skill Hubs and Digital Libraries to ensure 100% digital literacy, geriatric care institutions with dedicated wings in Area Hospitals and Medical Colleges, rehabilitation centers for the differently-abled, and a Suicide Prevention Framework. A comprehensive Tobacco Control Program will also be launched to address preventable health risks.

District Collectors have been assigned specific actionable mandates as "Execution Engines for Demographic Stability." They must conduct monthly reviews of IMR, MMR and TFR at the Mandal level, identify "Demographic Hotspots" with high dropout rates or low female workforce participation for targeted intervention, ensure 100% enumeration and tracking under the Sanjeevani platform, conduct safety audits of public transport and workplaces to certify them as "Women Ready," monitor youth placement via Skill Passport data, and ensure 100% saturation of nutritional supplements and maternal-child entitlements for pregnant women and children.