'Cow for boy, Rs 50,000 for girl': Indian lawmaker offers reward for third birth

A Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Lok Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, Kalisetty Appalanaidu, has announced cash incentives and gifts for women giving birth to a third child in his constituency.

Speaking at an event on International Women’s Day, the MP from Vizianagaram pledged Rs 50,000 from his salary to any woman delivering a third child.

Additionally, if the child is a boy, the mother will also receive a cow.

Appalanaidu stated that his initiative is aimed at increasing the state’s young population, an issue that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has recently highlighted.

During his March visit to Delhi, the AP CM expressed concerns over the declining birth rate in South India, contrasting it with the younger demographics of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

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"I used to advocate family planning, but now I am changing my views. India’s demographic dividend is a great advantage, and if managed well, it can strengthen the country’s future," Naidu said.

In line with this shift, the Andhra Pradesh government has also expanded maternity leave benefits, removing the previous two-child limit.

Naidu announced that women employees can now avail maternity leave for any number of children, a move aimed at balancing population growth while supporting working women.