Fertility scheme in limbo

On the ground that other communities may question support to only one religious community as unconstitutional, the Planning Commission has asked the Ministry of Minority Affairs of the government of India to redraft the fertility support scheme for Parsis which it had initiated, reported The Free Press Journal (FPJ) on August 1, 2010.

Minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid had announced a project to help Parsis arrest the rapid decline in their population due to low birth rate through an awareness program, medical help and other support systems. Parsis are among the five notified minorities in the country and the government has already provided one crore rupees in the union budget for 2010-11 to counter the population decline following the National Commission for Minorities’ (NCM) expression of concern in the matter, noted FPJ. Census figures show that Parsis numbered 69,601 in 2001, a steep decline from 1.14 lakh in 1941. Based on a survey of Parsis in India, the NMC had stated in a report that the community should reverse the trend of late marriage or no marriage and take steps to increase the birth rate that has dropped alarmingly.

Salman Khurshid: support to Parsis questioned

When apprised of the fact that a prime factor for the dwindling population was the dogmatic attitude of the community which did not accept those who married outside the religion or their children as Parsis, Khurshid backtracked stating the government would not interfere in the internal matters of the community, FPJ reported. The newspaper recorded that the minister reacted in a similar manner when informed that the community barred entry of non-Zoroastrians into their fire temples nor did they permit outsiders to embrace the Zoroastrian faith.