Prior to 2000 I had informed the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) that I had deduced the reasons for our declining numbers to be celibacy, late marriages and producing only one child. I feel that healthy and reasonably secure financially couples should produce two children. We owe this to our religion and community in order to perpetuate both.
The BPP paid the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) several lakh rupees to come to the same conclusions as I had. The only new thing TISS said was that priests comprised six percent of the community.
The Parsi Junction (PJ) of February 11, 2024 mentions that in 2010 the BPP had decided to increase the assistance for the second and third child to Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 per month respectively. PJ also mentions that these schemes are in arrears of lakhs of rupees. The BPP needs to re-prioritize its agenda and put the matter of declining numbers above all else. B. T. DASTUR
dasturbehram@gmail.com
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