‘Not one child, have two or three’: Naidu tells IIT alumni India's demographic window shuts by 2047
The Chief Minister, who once championed family planning, said southern India is ageing, fertility is below replacement level, and children are the 'wealth in future'.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu used his keynote at the PanIIT Andhra Pradesh Summit in Vijayawada on Saturday to repeat a message he has pressed before: have more children.
"Now I am talking about population management. Not one child, have two or three. That is the best. Children are not burden. They are the wealth in future. That is the slogan I am giving everybody."
'Ageing is catching up'
India's demographic advantage has a deadline, Naidu told the alumni of the 23 IITs. "This demographic dividend will be available up to 2047. South India already started diminishing that advantage. Ageing is catching up and also fertility rate is falling. We are not in a position to reach the replacement level also."
He acknowledged the turn. "Earlier I promoted population control, family planning. For that, so many restrictions. Now I have removed all restrictions."
He pointed to Europe and China as warnings. India's population is now larger than China's, he said, and China's is set to shrink sharply, while India's further growth will come mainly from northern states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh rather than from the south.
Why it matters to him
Naidu tied the point to his larger argument that the next two decades are decisive. "Twenty years is very, very crucial for India," he said. "Even we should not waste one day. If we waste one day, it will be waste forever."
Also from the summit: Naidu on Modi and India's 2047 goal, and the PanIIT Amaravati Council and QShiva quantum launch.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker | N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh | PanIIT Alumni India |
| Message | "Not one child, have two or three" | N Chandrababu Naidu |
| Demographic dividend | Available until 2047, by his estimate | N Chandrababu Naidu |
| Event | PanIIT Andhra Pradesh Summit, Vijayawada, 3 October 2026 | PanIIT Alumni India |
Questions readers are asking
What did Naidu say about population?
That India's demographic dividend lasts only until 2047, that southern India is already ageing with fertility below replacement level, and that families should have two or three children rather than one.
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| N. Chandrababu Naidu | Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh |
