Need to address state's declining fertility rate urgently: AP CM

Amaravati: 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 emphasising 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.