• Source:JND
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In a controversial attempt to counter its declining birth rate, several Russian regions are offering financial incentives to school-age girls who become pregnant, including a one-time bonus of 100,000 rubles (approximately Rs 1 lakh). The scheme has sparked widespread debate, especially given the absence of a minimum age requirement for eligibility.

Regions such as Kemerovo, Oryol, and Bryansk have explicitly included teenage and school-age girls in this incentive programme. Girls who are more than 12 weeks pregnant are eligible, with their legal guardians receiving the payment if the pregnancy reaches at least 22 weeks.

Additionally, eight other regions across Russia have rolled out similar cash-for-pregnancy initiatives aimed at encouraging childbirth among young women.

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Broader Pro-Natalist Push

The financial incentive is part of a larger, state-led pro-natalist policy drive in Russia, which is facing a record-low birth rate. According to reports, the country is now experiencing fewer than 100,000 births per month, the lowest in over 25 years. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has described the situation as “disastrous for the nation’s future.”

The region of Karelia, for example, is offering a bonus of 100,000 rubles (approximately Rs 81,000) to female university or college students under the age of 25 who give birth to a healthy baby. To qualify, students must be full-time, under 25, and residents of the region.

Gaps And Grey Areas In Policy

While the incentive is generous, serious concerns remain about its execution and ethics. The law excludes mothers who deliver stillborn babies, but it is unclear if payments will be revoked in cases where the child dies post-birth, such as due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). There is also no clarity on whether young mothers of children with disabilities qualify for the payment, or whether they are entitled to additional support for childcare and postpartum recovery.

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The federal government’s Maternity Capital Programme, launched in 2007, grants 500,000 rubles for the birth of a first child and additional payments for subsequent births. On top of this, regional governments offer bonuses ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, depending on the number of children born.