A Presbyterian church in Mizoram has rolled out a financial incentive programme to encourage married couples to have more children, amid growing concerns over the state’s declining fertility rate.
The initiative has been introduced by the Presbyterian Church at Hualngohmun village, located around 12 kilometres from Aizawl. Under the scheme, couples are rewarded with cash grants as their family grows. Parents receive Rs 1,000 after the birth of their first child and Rs 2,000 for the second. The reward increases to Rs 5,000 for the third child, while families welcoming a fourth child are entitled to Rs 50,000.
The church has also announced a special incentive of Rs 1 lakh for families with ten children. Church elder Lalchawimawia said only one couple has so far received the Rs 50,000 benefit under the programme.
The move comes in response to repeated appeals by the Mizoram Synod of the Presbyterian Church, which has urged members to help reverse the state’s falling birth rate. Church leaders have described population decline as a serious demographic challenge with long-term consequences.
Other influential organisations, including the Baptist Church of Mizoram and the Young Mizo Association (YMA), have also called on families to have more children, warning that continued low fertility could create economic and social challenges in the future.
Official figures show that Mizoram’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stood at 1.89 children per woman in 2024, below both the national average and the replacement level of 2.1. Experts have cautioned that if the trend continues, the state could face an ageing population, labour shortages and increasing pressure on welfare services.
