Amaravati, Aug 23 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday appealed to people to have more children saying population should be seen as an asset and not a burden.

"At one time, I had called for observing family planning but I am now making an appeal to people to increase the population by producing more children," he said.

Voicing concern over the fertility rate in the state declining to 1.5-1.7 per cent, he called for increasing the same to 2.1 per cent at par with the national fertility rate.

'Population in north India is growing but it's declining in south India. You should keep this in mind,' he said while addressing a grama sabha at Vanapalli village in Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district.

"If we don't think with foresight, the population will decrease. The ageing population will increase. If children are not born, who will we serve," the Chief Minister asked.

He warned that the state may face a situation like some countries where there are more older people as childbirth has stopped. "These countries have more ageing population. If they die, villages will become ghost villages," he said.

Naidu said that because of the ageing population, European countries, China and Japan are not in a position to compete in today's competitive world.

He said his government earlier this month scrapped the two-child norm for contesting the Panchayat elections. 'I can't say what will happen tomorrow or the day after. If one has no child or has just one child, he may be declared ineligible to contest," he added in a lighter vein. He said he believed that people should be seen as an asset, adding that there was a time when people were seen as a burden.

The state Cabinet on August 7 decided to scrap the two-child norm for local body elections given the declining fertility rate in the state. It noted that while the national fertility rate is 2.1 per cent, the same in Andhra Pradesh is only 1.5 per cent. It was also noted currently the average male reproductive age in the state is 32.5 years which is likely to go up to 40 by 2047. Similarly, the female reproductive age in the state is now 29 years and this is expected to go up to 38 by 2047.

It was felt that the number of people who could contribute to the economic development will come down drastically. It was also revealed that currently 11 per cent of the state's population is aged above 60 years. This is likely to go up to 19 per cent by 2047.

/IANS