Even as the Health Ministry is trying to keep a check on the increasing population in the country by launching various contraceptives, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu has quite the opposite ideas.
Earlier this week, at an event, the CM said that people should have more children to reduce the increasing dependency on robots in today's world.
"I used to advocate family planning. But now I am asking people to have more kids," he said.
Naidu said that the responsibility is more with the 'educated' people. "They are looking at it like a big task, as it is tough to raise children," he said. The CM also said if the previous generations' had the same process, "we wouldn't be here today."
The comment comes just days after the 'Roving Robot' that performs surgery with minimal interference from the surgeon did a tour in Andhra Pradesh's hospitals.
It's strange that Naidu didn't realise that more people wouldn't quite translate to less robots. A lot of reports have pointed out how but before the end of this century, 70 percent of today's occupations will be replaced by automation or robots. Naidu didn't talk about the government's ability to create jobs for more people. The nearly 12 lakh unemployed youths in the state highlights a larger problem that can't be solved with 'have more kids' solution.
While the CM said that he used to advocate family planning, he has asked people to have more kids time and again.
Last year, he had made a similar proposal. "The state's population is witnessing a down fall. It is not good for any progressive country." Recalling his previous stint as CM, when AP government had promoted one child policy, the CM said that the changed mindset came after analysing various facts such as global growth rate and problems from downfall in population.
Even in 2015, Naidu had drawn flak from political parties for asking people to have more children. He had said that a 'demographic crisis' loomed large over Andhra Pradesh.
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