Parent with most children will get Rs 1 lakh: Mizoram minister

A Mizoram minister on Sunday announced a cash incentive of Rs 1 lakh to a living parent with the highest number of children in his constituency, reported PTI. The announcement was made to encourage population growth among the demographically small Mizo communities.

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On the occasion of Father’s Day, state sports minister Robert Romawia Royte said, “Mizoram is far below the optimum number of people to attain development in various fields because of the gradual decline in its population. Low population is a serious issue and hurdle for small communities or tribes like Mizos to survive and progress.”

Thus, he announced he would reward a living man or woman having the largest number of children within his Aizawl East-2 assembly constituency with a cash incentive of Rs 1 lakh.

The person will also get a certificate and a trophy and the cost of the incentive will be borne by a construction consultancy firm owned by the minister’s son.

Such an announcement in Mizoram, which is home to several Mizo tribes, came at a time when other states are advocating a population control policy. For instance, Mizoram’s neighbour Assam has recently announced that the state government will implement a two-child policy for availing benefits under certain schemes funded by the state. It also has a two-child norm along with other requirements for contesting in panchayat polls. Assam has a population density of 398 per square kilometre.

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On the other hand, Mizoram has a population density of 52 persons per square kilometre, the second-lowest in India, after Arunachal Pradesh (17 persons per square kilometre). The national average is 382 per sq km.