India offers cars and TV sets for sterilisation

Health officials in India are offering attractive incentives including a car, motorcycles and television sets to men and women who volunteer for sterilisation in a bid to control the country’s surging population.

Launching the scheme yesterday in Rajasthan’s Jhunjunu, 155miles west of New Delhi Sitaram Sharma the desert town’s chief medical officer was hopeful that these enticements would tempt at least 30,000 people to undergo sterilisation.

“We are confident that this idea will work well” Mr Sharma said of the three-month long scheme.

The inducements on offer contributed by a local charitable trust include one Nano, the world’s cheapest car for the first volunteer, five motorcycles and an equal number of colour televisions and food blenders for disbursal amongst subsequent candidates.

Others would be paid varying cash amounts that would supplement the federal government’s Family Welfare scheme which offered Rs1000 (£14.20) to those undergoing vasectomy and Rs200 (2.85 Pounds) to the one who motivated them.

Full story at the Telegraph