Indian minister announces cash incentive to parent with the highest number of children

The parent will reportedly be given a cash prize, a certificate and a trophy

A view of the city of Aizawl in the state of Mizoram in India (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A minister in the Indian state of Mizoram has reportedly announced a cash incentive to parents who have the highest number of children in his constituency, in an attempt to encourage population growth.

Mizoram’s sports, youth affairs and tourism minister Robert Romawia Royte made the announcement on Sunday, but did not specify the minimum number of children a person must have to be eligible for the reward.

He announced a cash prize of Rs 100,000 (£971) which would be sponsored by the North East Consultancy Services, an agency run by his family, according to The Hindu.

The person would also get a certificate and a trophy, he said.

Mr Royte said that Mizoram has a population density of only 52 persons per sq km, whereas the national average is 382 persons per sq km. The “infertility rate and the declining growth rate of the Mizo population” has been a serious concern for many years, he said.

Mizoram has the second lowest population density in the country after the state of Arunachal Pradesh which has 17 persons per sq km, according to India’s 2011 census.

The minister said Mizoram is far below the optimum number of people to develop in various fields, according to news agency PTI. He also said that a low population “is a serious issue and hurdle for small communities or tribes like Mizos to survive and progress.”

The term Mizo represents several tribes taken together.

Meanwhile, another Indian state — Assam — has said it will gradually implement a two-child policy for some schemes funded by the state. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state will implement population norms in the future through incentives like waiver of loans or access to government schemes.