http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=72050
MOSCOW: Workers in a Russian region were given a holiday on Wednesday, to have sex in a bid to boost the birth rate.
Today has been declared the Day of Conception in Ulyanovsk, Lenin's birthplace, when couples are told go to home and multiply.
If they succeed they could win a car, cash or a fridge.
Under the city council's "Give Birth to a Patriot" scheme, those who give birth on June 12, Lenin's birthday, will get a prize.
The winning couple of the grand prize - a locally made 4x4 car - are judged by a committee on criteria such as "respectability" and "commendable parenting".
The scheme is championed by the Ulyanovsk governor, Sergei Morozov. "The leadership (of the country) is interested in the family," he told AP Television News. Since the scheme started three years ago the region's birth rate has increased.
Low life expectancy, declining birth rates, a spike in emigration to other countries, a frayed healthcare system and other factors have contributed to a sharp drop in Russia's population since the 1991 Soviet collapse. The world's largest country now has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled nations in the world. Experts expect the decline to accelerate, estimating that Russia's population could fall below 100 million by 2050.
Just 311 women signed up to take part in the first competition, in 2005, and qualify for a half-day off from work. The following June, 46 more babies were born in Ulyanovsk's 25 hospitals compared to the previous June, including 28 born on June 12, officials said.
No comments:
Post a Comment