Make a baby.Win a car.Don't be surprised if the streets are empty and curtain drawn in Ulyanovsk,a central Russian region as residentstake up an offer by the regional governor to help stem Russia's demographic crisis.
Ulyanovsk Gov.Sergei Morozov has decreed Sept.12 a Day of Conception and is giving couples time off from work to procreate.Couples who give birth nine months later on Russia's national day-June 12-will receive money,cars,refrigerators and other prizes.
It's the third year that the Volga River region,about 550 miles east of Moscow,has held the contest.Since then,the number of competitors-and the number of babies born-has been on the rise.
"If there's a good,healthy atmosphere at home within the family,if the husband and wife both love each other and their child,they will be in good spirits and that will extend to the workplace.So there will be a healthy atmosphere throughout the country,"he told AP Television News."The leadership(of the country)is interested in the family."
Russia's population has dropped since the 1991 Soviet collapse, fed by declining birth rates,a low life expectancy,a spike in emigration,a frayed health care system and other factors.The country-the world's largest-now has just 141.4 million citizens,making it one of the most sparsely settled nations.And experts estimate the population could fall below 100 million by 2050.
Just 311 women signed up to take part in the first competition,in 2005,and qualify for a half-day off from work.The next June,46 more babies were born in Ulyanovsk's 25 hospitals compared to the previous June,including 28 born on June 12,officials said.
More than 500 women signed up for the contest in 2006-resulting nine months later in 78 babies,or more than triple the region's daily average.So far this year,the region's birth rate is up 4.5 percent compared to the same period last year.
"生个孩子得辆车!"看到乌里扬诺夫斯克这个俄罗斯中部地区的街上空无一人,户内窗帘低垂,你可千万别惊讶.居民们都在响应州长的号召,努力遏制俄国的人口下降危机哪.
乌里扬诺夫斯克州长西格·莫伦佐夫规定9月12日为"受孕日",准许夫妇们不上班以从事"生育活动".能在9个月后俄罗斯国庆日(6月12日)生产的夫妇将会得到奖金,轿车,冰箱以及其他奖励.
这个在莫斯科以东550英里的伏尔加河沿岸地区已是第三年举办这一赛事了.从那时起,竞赛者和新生宝宝的数量都在上升.
"如果家庭内部气氛温馨健康,夫妻恩爱,疼爱子女,那么他们就会有良好的情绪,这种情绪还会扩及到工作场所.那么整个国家的气氛就会非常健康."莫伦佐夫告诉美联社新闻电视台,"我们国家的领导人对家庭的情况非常关注."
自1991年苏联解体以来,由于出生率降低,预期寿命缩短,移居国外的人数增多,卫生保健制度不完善等因素,俄罗斯的人口一直呈下降趋势,这个世界上国土面积最大的国家目前只有1.414亿人口,是最地广人稀的国家之一.专家估计到2050年起人口将不足1亿.
有官员说,2005年第一次举办该竞赛时只有311位女士报名参加,获得了半天假期.次年6月,与上一年同月相比,乌里扬诺夫斯克的25家医院多出生了46个新生儿,其中有28个是在6月12日出生的.
2006年报名参赛的女性超过了500名-九个月后有78个婴儿出生时当地日均出生率的三倍还不止.迄今为止,与上年同期相比,该地的出生率提高了4.5%. |
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