Chandigarh, May 18: BJP leader and former IAS officer Jagmohan Raju has expressed concern over the declining Sikh population in Punjab. In a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he suggested that the state government should offer financial incentives to encourage families to have more children. Specifically, he proposed a sum of ₹30,000 for a third child and ₹40,000 for a fourth child.
Raju emphasized that the Sikh community is a constitutionally recognized minority in India. According to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Sikhs have the lowest fertility rate among major communities in the country, leading to a continuous decline in their population.
He pointed out that the proportion of Sikhs in Punjab’s population was 62.95% in 1991, which dropped to 57.69% in the 2011 census. Current trends indicate that this decline is ongoing, posing a serious concern for the social and cultural future of the Sikh community in Punjab.
To combat this demographic decline, Raju urged the Punjab government to consider implementing a financial assistance model similar to that recently announced by the Andhra Pradesh government. This model provides ₹30,000 for the birth of a third child and ₹40,000 for a fourth child, aimed at supporting young families and curbing the decrease in the Sikh population.
He stated, “Such measures will help maintain the social, cultural, and demographic strength of the Sikh community, which has made significant contributions to India’s independence, defense, agriculture, and overall development.”
Raju expressed hope that the government would take this important issue seriously. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has already announced financial incentives to improve declining birth rates and maintain demographic balance.
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