Why A.P.’s incentive for having more children is misplaced (opens original article in a new tab)

Andhra Pradesh's incentive for having more children is criticized as inadequate, as it fails to address the high costs of childcare and the primary financial barriers preventing families from having more children.

• Andhra Pradesh announced a one-time incentive of ₹30,000 for the third child and ₹40,000 for the fourth as part of a population management policy.
• The incentive is insufficient to offset childcare costs, as it is only about 1.5 times the monthly per capita expenditure in rural areas and similar to urban areas.
• Less than 10% of Indian respondents preferred having three or more children, with financial limitations being the primary barrier to having children.