From the Washington Times:
India uses gun license as sterilization incentive
By Shaikh Azizur Rahman
March 29, 2008
NEW DELHI — Government officials in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have begun offering fast-track gun licenses to men who agree to undergo sterilization, so they will not feel less manly.
The region is part of Chambal Valley, notorious for its rampaging gangs of robbers and bandits, and many villagers desperately want to possess firearms.
Vasectomy camps — regularly set up in many parts of the country as part of a solution to India's population explosion — often fail to meet their targets. Most men refuse to be sterilized, thinking the process strips them of their manliness.
[snip]
After a survey found that most men refused vasectomies because they did not want to lose their "manliness," the government adopted a new strategy.
"We decided to match it with a bigger symbol of manliness: a gun license," Mr. Srivastava said, and "it has worked wonders."
Only eight men came for sterilization in the district last year. In the first 10 weeks after the plan was announced this year, more than 200 men have undergone vasectomies and many others are waiting, he said.
[snip]
"...as soon as the offer of a gun license was announced, people threw away all worries and began responding to our program enthusiastically," said one family planning official.
No comments:
Post a Comment