Presbyterian Church urges to extend maternity leave

By: WE Staff | Monday, 13 December 2021

To encourage married couples to have more babies and to prolong maternity leave, the Presbyterian Church, the largest and most powerful church in the Christian dominated state of the northeast state of Mizoram, decided to appeal to the state government.

Held at Republic Veng local church in Aizwal, in the annual Synod conference, the delegates discussed 49 agendas.

The majority of delegates said, that the increase in the population of the church members and the Mizos as a whole has become important for survival and prosperity. They said the population can be increased only by having more babies and one of the most important encouragements is the extension of the days of maternity leave for women working in the state government as an incentive.

The second-largest church in the state, the Baptist Church of Mizoram, and other church denominations are also batting for the baby boom in the state. The churches and the YMA had been encouraging couples to have more children and thought that the Mizos as a tribe and a religious minority should increase the population for survival.

They said the decadal growth in the population of the state, especially among the Mizo Christians, have declined steadily over the past years while the population growth of the Chakmas, regarded by many Mizos as foreigners, increased abnormally, endangering the balanced demographic growth.

Tourism Minister Robert Romawia Royte, said the incentives to mothers to have more children was given in accordance with “more children drive” launched by different church denominations and the central committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA).