Vijayawada: The state assembly approved seven bills on Monday, including AP Panchayat Raj Amendment Bill, 2024 and AP Municipal Laws Amendment Bill, 2024, which permit candidates with more than two children to contest in local body elections.
Assembly also passed AP Land Grabbing (Prohibition Bill), 2024, NTR Health University Amendment Bill, 2024, Ayurvedic and Homeopathy Medical Practitioners Act Amendment Bill and AP Medical Practitioners Registration Amendment Bill, 2024, focusing on enhancing healthcare administration and regulation. Additionally, the AP Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill, 2024 was approved, targeting improvements in cooperative governance.
The AP Municipal Laws Amendment Bill, introduced by minister Narayana, marked a policy shift. Previously, a two-child norm disqualified candidates from urban local body elections under laws enacted in the 1990s to promote family planning. However, with Andhra Pradesh’s fertility rate plummeting from 2.6 in 2001 to 1.5, and an aging population outpacing growth, the govt decided to repeal these provisions to encourage broader participation in local governance.
“Considering the social and economic changes, it became necessary to amend the law to reflect the state’s current demographic challenges,” stated minister Narayana during the discussion.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Regulation of Age of Superannuation) Amendment Bill, Andhra Pradesh Electricity Duty (Second Amendment Bill), and Andhra Pradesh Appropriation (Vote on Account No.2) Bill, 2024 were introduced in the legislative council on Monday, and a short discussion on these bills is scheduled for Tuesday.
