Delay a baby and win a second honeymoon

CASH IN: Couples delaying the birth of their first child by two years would get a honeymoon package worth Rs 5,000.

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

Maharaj or Dada, Ganguly's legacy lives on

Featured Slideshows

Mumbai: Authorities in Maharashtra are offering to pay for a second honeymoon for couples who delay the birth of their first child by two years in an attempt to control birth rates, a newspaper report said on Tuesday.

The offer, called the "Honeymoon Package", is being made by authorities in Satara in Maharashtra, The Times of India said.

Couples delaying the birth of their first child by two years would get a honeymoon package worth Rs 5,000 and around Rs 7,500 if they can hold off for three years, it said.

"The money is sufficient for a couple to enjoy a second honeymoon for two or three days at a favourite destination," district health officer V H Mohite was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Satara has a population of about three million. A recent survey found that the district registered about 25,000 marriages every year and 87 per cent of the newly weds had a child in the first year of marriage.

Authorities hope that if 20 per cent of couples take up the offer, the birth of more than 4,000 babies could be delayed every year.