Indian Mothers Paid To Have More Babies

[Kadie]

Feb 11, 2007 5:13 pm US/Pacific

Indian Mothers Paid To Have More Babies
To Forestall "Extinction," Tribal Leaders Give Cash Incentives To Women With More Than 12 Children

(AP) GAUHATI, India Tribal leaders in India's remote northeast are offering cash rewards to women who bear more than a dozen children in a bid to keep from being outnumbered by settlers from elsewhere, a leader said Sunday.

In the past two months, Khasi tribal chieftains in Meghalaya state have paid 16,000 rupees ($348) each to four such women including 45-year-old Amilia Sohtun, who has 17 children, said H.S. Shylla, a member of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.

Sohtun runs a tea stand at Laitkor Peak, a tourist spot near Meghalaya's capital, Shillong.

Tribal elders defended the move, which has infuriated many women and health activists.

"Our community faces a genuine threat of being outnumbered by outsiders, and the only way we can prevent our race from becoming extinct is to ensure our population rises soon enough," Shylla told The Associated Press.

more...
http://cbs13.com/topstories/topstories_story_042211618.html

[rpannier]

1. This is a lot more common than most people think

It's just not this extreme.
Many countries are giving financial incentives for families to have 3 children because of decreasing population.
These national governments are concerned about the economic impact of having a very small younger population and a much larger older population and how this affects the ability to pay for benefits of the aged.

[TahitiNut]

2. Just what India needs ... more people.

:wow: