The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to do away with the two-child norm, which makes persons having more than two children ineligible to contest the elections to the rural and urban local bodies in the state.
A decision to this effect was taken by the cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada.
The cabinet decided to amend the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act-1955 and AP Municipalities Act-1965 for the municipal corporations and municipalities and AP Panchayat Raj Act-1994, removing the relevant provisions that bar people having more than two children contesting the municipal and panchayat elections.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, state information and public relations minister Kolusu Parthasarathy said the decision to revoke the two-child norm has been taken given the changing socio-economic necessities and balance of the population taking into consideration the falling total fertility rate (TFR).
“While the average national TFR is 2.11 (births per woman), it is only 1.5 in Andhra Pradesh. According to the latest figures, the average male fertility age in the state is 32.5 and it is expected to go up to 40 years by 2047. Similarly, the average fertility age of a woman is 29 years, which is likely to go up to 38 by 2047. This will result in a reduction of the people contributing to the economic development,” the minister said.
Similarly, the percentage of people above 60 years of age in Andhra Pradesh is 11% and it will go up to 19% by 2047. The national average of the people above 60 years is at present 10% and it will go up to 15% by 2047. “Keeping all these factors in view, the government has decided to do away with the two-child norm for contesting the local body elections,” Parthasarathy said.
In another decision, the cabinet extended the existing ban on the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF) for one more year as per Section 3 of the AP Public Security Act of 1992.
“The ban has been in force since August 17, 2005, against these organisations which have been spreading the left-wing extremist ideology, opposing the state government programmes, creating unrest in the society and damaging the public and private properties, besides disturbing the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in the state,” he said.
The cabinet decided to revamp the present excise policy which, it felt, was lopsided and had caused extensive loss of revenue to the extent of Rs 18,000 crore to the state exchequer in the last five years. “A cabinet sub-committee will be constituted to restructure the excise department and come out with a new prohibition and excise policy in another one and a half months, that would come into effect from October 1,” Parthasarathy said.
The new policy would come out with stringent measures to prevent the smuggling of non-duty paid liquor into the state, Ganja and other narcotics. It would also take steps to make available quality liquor at affordable prices for the common people. “The cabinet also decided to enforce 100% digital transactions at the liquor outlets,” he said.
