In Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, the administration and health department has launched a unique initiative of offering 4G Android smartphones to men and sarees to women for opting sterilisation. The scheme launched on March 10 is on till month end.

Jhalawar, also the home district of  chief minister Vasundhara Raje, topped in family planning in 2015-16.

To keep that zeal alive and draw more people, particularly men, before the end of the fiscal, and also to give tough competition to nearby districts such as Pali and Baran, the administration has come up with this innovative idea.

Jhalawar chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Sajid Khan told DH, “This scheme is an incentive we are providing to men and women who opt sterilisation. According to norms, the department was paying Rs 2,000 to men opting for non-scalpel vasectomies and Rs 1,400 to women undergoing laparoscopic tubectomies. But the idea is to encourage more men to undergo the procedure.”

The department hopes to give a boost to family planning  through this scheme.
The health department has been trying to create awareness through the media by publicising the scheme in 252 gram panchayats of Jhalawar.

“In order to improve the number of males opting for sterilisation, we decided to offer them either Rs 5,000 extra or a 4G phone. We shortlisted Spice phones for distribution. Suddenly we saw an increase in the number of males coming forward,” Dr Khan added.

According to the data given by CMHO office, the sterilisation target was 8,703 people, of which 8,181, comprising 8,089 women and 92 men, has already been achieved.