baby baby

Is fertility rate the new polling battleground? What netagiri ignores is the cost of childbearing borne by women

In both 2022 and 2023, more than 3L babies were born in Delhi. To be sure, some 15-liter women will become pregnant in the city over the next five years, and the BJP has promised to provide them with Rs 21,000 each (a total of Rs 3,150) if Kejriwal is replaced in the February 5 polls. This comes shortly after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu proposed making three children the minimum qualification to become a panchayat or municipal candidate in the state, signaling that babies will become India’s next poll battleground . Having children is a personal choice – one that the state may facilitate rather than force. Naidu’s plan fails the democratic test. However, he’s not the only one advocating for larger families. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said couples need to have at least three children each. An organization provides a grant of Rs 1L to a Brahmin couple with four children who are members of Parliament. Last year, U.S. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s remarks about “childless cat ladies” went viral. Pope Francis has declared that those who choose to keep pets instead of children are acting selfishly. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has declared Italy’s plummeting birth rate a national emergency.

In October last year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin also agreed with Naidu’s views. Both are likely to be affected by the long-pending delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, putting southern states at a disadvantage if population is the only criterion. But as former Reserve Bank of India Governor Subbarao says on this page (More immigrants, not childrenOctober 29), it is better to compensate for population decline through immigration than to increase fertility.

So to the question “Why shouldn’t we aim for 16 children?” posed by the Pope and various other leaders, including Stalin, all we can say is, let women decide, because the burden of childbearing falls entirely on them. 16 children is at least 16 years of prime study or working years, which is the elusive demographic dividend. Furthermore, if there aren’t enough jobs for children as young as one or two years old, what will these children do when they grow up? Don’t forget that childbirth is a dangerous job. Centuries ago, a queen dedicated her married life to producing an heir. She died while giving birth to her 14th child. Is the Taj Mahal worth visiting?

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