Russian students can now get cash payments for having babies
What's the story
Russia has launched a policy promising 100,000 rubles (approximately ₹81,000) to female students under 25 who give birth.
The initiative is currently open to full-time students in the Karelia region, The Moscow Times reported.
The move is similar to China and Japan's efforts to reverse falling birthrates.
The incentive comes as part of Russia's larger plan to tackle a demographic crisis characterized by a sharp decline in birth rates.
Demographic crisis
Russia's birth rate hits 25-year low
In early 2024, the country recorded just 599,600 births—a 25-year low and a decline of 16,000 compared to the same period in 2023.
The Kremlin has called the situation "catastrophic for the future of the nation."
Similar programs are being introduced in other areas such as Tomsk, with at least 11 regional governments providing financial incentives for childbirth.
The national government has also raised maternity payments from 2025.
Nationwide efforts
Other regions follow suit, national government increases maternity payments
First-time mothers will receive 677,000 rubles (around $6,150), up from 630,400 rubles in 2024.
Mothers giving birth to a second child will receive 894,000 rubles (about $8,130), up from 833,000 rubles in 2024.
Russia's population continues to decline due to several factors including high adult mortality and emigration.
The war in Ukraine has further exacerbated the demographic crisis with significant casualties and mass emigration.
Record
Women between 18 and 40 received referrals for fertility testing
Last year, Moscow began referring women aged 18 to 40 for fertility testing.
The women were asked to participate in a test that assesses the level of anti-Mullerian hormone in their blood. The hormone released by the ovaries indicates a woman's ovarian reserve, or the quantity of healthy, immature eggs in her reproductive system.
If testing revealed that women had a low ovarian reserve, they were offered further treatments, such as freezing part of their eggs.