Saturday 14 April 2007

Pillai Petraal Veedu Free

You can get a free house if you marry within the community and produce a child. But, the catch is that you should be a Parsi.

Industrialists like Tata and Godrej belong to Parsi community. About 85 per cent of Parsi population lives in Mumbai. The community's population in India is decreasing at 10 per cent per decade. It is a highly urbanized and modern community besotted with urban medical problems like cancer and neurological disorders. The other issues related to its dwindling population are late marriages, infertility and a large ageing population. Besides, the community has an inverted triangle of fewer births at 12 per thousand as compared to deaths which is 22.6 per thousand. Out of an estimated population of 76,000 Parsis in India, 65,000 reside in Mumbai, 6,000 in Navsari, 1,400 in Surat, 2,000 in Ahmedabad and 600 in Delhi.

Recently, Parsis in Surat have initiated a scheme to motivate young Parsi couples to marry within the community and have children. About 24 flats in Bai Bamasipore Memorial Zarthosthi building in Saiyedpura in Surat have been given free of cost to young Parsis, who pledged to marry within the community and have children. In the last couple of years, seven kids have been born here. For complete report click here.