India: Rajasthan in ‘cars for sterilisation’ campaign

Health officials in the Indian state of Rajasthan are launching a new campaign to try reduce the high population growth in the area.They are encouraging men and women to volunteer for sterilisation, and in return are offering a car and other prizes for those who come forward.Among the rewards on offer is the Indian-made Tata Nano – the world’s cheapest car.Many in the government are worried about the size of India’s population.It is expected to overtake that of China by 2030.Sitaram Sharma, the head doctor of Jhunjunu in western India, is hopeful that the chance to win a car might be just enough to tempt at least 20,000 men and women to undergo sterilisation.He is also offering motorcycles, televisions and food blenders.There is no chance of a campaign such as this being run on a nationwide level.When it was last attempted, in the 1970s, thousands of people complained that they had been tricked or coerced. – BBC