In an attempt to encourage Parsi couples to have more babies, the Ministry of Minority Affairs-funded Jiyo Parsi scheme in its second phase will cover expenses for a child caregiver, crèche and elderly people in the family. These factors often act as deterrents for couples planning to start a family or have a second child.
Since Jiyo Parsi was launched in 2013, a total 148 babies have been born under the scheme that funded infertility treatment for couples. The ministry had allocated ₹10 crore to the initiative in its first phase. In the second phase, that began at end of 2017, the funding was pushed up to ₹12 crore.
The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) reviewed the scheme in its first phase and pointed out factors that may be keeping couples from planning a second baby or even the first baby in some cases.
“They found that … any young couple on an average has five or more seniors under their care. These could be their parents, grandparents or other relatives. The cost of having a child with the already existing responsibility was among the foremost reasons why couples don’t plan a second baby,” said Shernaz Cama, director of Parzor, a project to preserve Parsi Zoroastrian heritage that implements Jiyo Parsi on behalf of the government. “Based on the inputs from IIPS, we planned to include the new components” she said.
What’s new
The new features include enhanced medical reimbursement that covers expenses of the delivery and post-delivery complications. For young parents, the scheme offers ₹4,000 per month per child up to eight years of age to cover the expenses for a child caregiver or crèche.
Another ₹4,000 per month will be offered to people above the age of 70 in families where the overall income in less than ₹10 lakh. This benefit will be offered to couples who have senior members residing with them and the responsibility is a deterrent in starting a family or increasing family size.
The scheme will also offer an honorarium of ₹3,000 to elderly people living in Parsi baugs who take the responsibility of caring for children under 10 years of age. The new components have been introduced as a pilot project for up to 100 applicants, who will be thoroughly reviewed by a committee.
At a time when the government is promoting population control measures, this scheme has a unique standing as it aims at increasing the 40,000-strong Parsi population. The scheme and its pointed advertisement campaigns have often attracted ire from critics who have termed it as regressive.
