Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Vizianagaram MP Kalisetty Appalanaidu’s offer of giving Rs 50,000 or a cow to women for having a third child is causing ripples in Andhra Pradesh. The MP, speaking at an event on the occasion of International Women’s Day, announced that if a woman gives birth to a third child who is a girl, Rs 50,000 will be paid to her from his salary, and if that child is a boy, a cow will be handed over to her.
Appalanaidu’s announcement has gone viral in the state where senior TDP leaders, including Chief Minister N Naidu Musicare talking about the declining young population and the need to boost it.
Speaking to The Indian ExpressAppalanaidu said, “My announcement follows calls by Prime Minister Narendra Modiand CM Naidu, on the steps to be taken for population growth along with the offers given by both of them for having a third child. We are asking women to have more children, and we will provide incentives if a third child is born.”
At a programme organised at Markapur in the Prakasam district, CM Naidu had announced that maternity leave would be granted for all women employees during child delivery time irrespective of the number of children they have. Sending a message to all the women, the CM reiterated that they should have as many children as possible to increase the youth population in the state in the coming years.
Home Minister V Anitha announced that women police constables would be granted maternity leave irrespective of the number of child deliveries. Till now, women employees, especially women police officials, were getting maternity leave for six months, each with full pay only for two deliveries. On Saturday, both the CM and Home Minister announced that maternity leave will be granted to all, regardless of the number of children a woman employee has.
Elected for the first time, Appalanaidu is a journalist-turned-politician who used to train TDP cadres on basic governance issues. The 2024 election was Applanaidu’s first electoral foray as he came as a surprising last-minute pick by Naidu. The 51-year-old has been with the TDP for 25 years. In 2004, he became a member of the TDP’s human resources development wing and was appointed in charge of the TDP’s North Andhra training institute for party cadres in Vizianagaram.
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