Tamil Nadu's Arunraj warns fertility rate below 1.4, considers incentives
Tamil Nadu's Health Minister K G Arunraj is worried about the state's falling fertility rate: it's now below 1.4, way under the ideal 2.1 needed to keep the population steady.
With nearly 16% of people already over 60, he says this could mean big challenges ahead as the population ages.
To help turn things around, the government is thinking about giving incentives to families who have a third child, taking cues from Andhra Pradesh.
Tamil Nadu launches 'Thaai Maaman Thangam'
Deliveries in government hospitals have dropped from 65.8% in 2017-18 to 51% today.
Arunraj points to private medical colleges offering free maternity care and changes in state benefits as reasons why more families are skipping public hospitals.
In response, Tamil Nadu has launched the Thaai Maaman Thangam scheme for those choosing private care and plans to dig deeper into why people are leaving government facilities despite the availability of quality care through Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care centers.