Now Reading: Tamil Nadu may incentivise couples for more children as fertility rate dips
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Tamil Nadu may incentivise couples for more children as fertility rate dips
Tamil Nadu may incentivise couples for more children as fertility rate dips
Tamil Nadu Health Minister KG Arunraj said on Sunday the state could follow Andhra Pradesh and offer incentives to couples for having more children. The state's Total Fertility Rate has fallen below…
The Story in Brief
Tamil Nadu Health Minister KG Arunraj said on Sunday the state could follow Andhra Pradesh and offer incentives to couples for having more children. The state's Total Fertility Rate has fallen below 1.4, well under the replacement level of 2.1, and nearly 16% of the population is aged above 60. Arunraj described the demographic shift as a major public health challenge.
The minister also flagged a sharp decline in deliveries at government hospitals, from 65.8% in 2017-18 to 51% now. He attributed this to private medical colleges offering free maternity care and the extension of a state scheme to private hospitals. The government recently launched the 'Thaai Maaman Thangam' scheme to ease the financial burden on poor and middle-class families seeking private healthcare. A detailed study will examine the reasons for the decline in government hospital deliveries.
The Indian Opinion
The immediate reaction to this news will be to frame it as a 'population crisis' or a 'baby bounty' scheme. But the real story is the collapse of births in government hospitals, from 65.8% to 51% in five years. That is a collapse of trust in the public health system, not just a fertility trend. Before any incentive is rolled out, the government must first answer why its own maternity wards are emptying. The number that matters is not the TFR, but the share of deliveries in government hospitals next year.
Sources (2): thefederal.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
