A minister in the northern Indian state of Mizoram has announced 100,000 Indian Rupees for parents with more children in his constituency.
The decision to offer a cash prize has been taken to encourage the demographically small Mizos to reverse the declining population growth rate.
The minister’s announcement came a week after the death of Mizoram’s Zion-a Chana, who was believed to head one of the largest families in the world with 38 wives, 89 children and 33 grandchildren.
Mizoram Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Minister Robert Romawia Royte, who represents the Mizo National Front from the Aizawl East-II constituency, announced on Father’s Day. However, he did not mention what the minimum number of children should be to earn the prize.
The announcement comes at a time when Assam and a few other states in India are pursuing a two-child policy to control the population.
“Mizoram’s population density of 52 persons per sq km is much below the national average of 382. The infertility rate and the declining growth rate of the Mizo population have been a serious concern for many years,” Robert Romawia Royte said.
Mizoram Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Minister, Robert Romawia Royte.
The prize will be paid for by North East Consultancy Services, a construction consultancy firm owned by the Sports Minister’s son. Romavia also said that the winner will be given a certificate and a trophy.
The state of Mizoram is home to several Mizo tribes. The low population is a concern and an obstacle to the survival of small communities and tribes including the Mizo hence, population growth is needed for the development of Mizoram.
According to the 2011 census, Mizoram is the second least populated state of India after Sikkim. It has a population of 1,091,014 and covers an area of about 21,087 square kilometres.
The Sports Minister also mentioned that some churches and organizations like the Young Mizo Association were encouraging policies to promote population growth.
Mr Royte is not the first leader of indigenous groups in the Northeast to declare or give a cash award to couples or women with the most children. Meghalaya’s Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council had in January 2017 given Rs 16,000 to Amelia Sohtun for giving birth to 17 children while Dorothia Kharbani and Philomena Sohlangpiaw were given 15,000 rupees for bearing 15 children each.
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