The Sikkim government has instituted a unique award for children who selflessly serve their parents.

Named The Shravan Kumar Award, this state recognition of filial piety carries a total prize amount of Rs 30 lakh.

The first three awardees will get Rs 15 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh each.

“To inculcate respect and care for their parents by the children and to encourage them to emulate Shravan Kumar, who selflessly served his parents, the State government is pleased to institute the ‘Shravan Kumar Award…,” a notification issued by Sikkim chief secretary V.B. Pathak reads.

The Ramayana mentions Shravan Kumar who carried his blind parents Shantanu and Gyanvanti on two baskets tied to the two ends of a bamboo pole to fulfill their wish to visit the four most sacred pilgrimages.

Shravan Kumar physically carried his parents on his shoulders as he could not afford the transport.

The Sikkim government award will be given “to the sons and daughters of Sikkim, who render selfless service to their parents” on every Independence Day.

The first recipients of this award will get the honour on August 15, 2024.

The Sikkim government’s social welfare department has been directed to make necessary rules and guidelines for this award.

Sources in the government said that Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) was concerned with the seemingly overall lack of empathy shown by some in society towards their elders, either deliberately or because of various constraints, and not just in Sikkim but across the globe.

“The Sikkim government is just expressing its concern on this issue while also encouraging people at large to take care of their elders,” said a source.

There have been reports of similar awards instituted by organisations in certain parts of the world, but not a state award of this kind.

Not surprisingly, the award has sparked interest among residents in this Himalayan state.

Some residents said that this award would help many to have a pulse on contemporary social trends as it "deals with a relatable issue".

Some said it would be interesting for common people to keep track of not only the rules and guidelines for the award but also the final three winners.

“Filial piety is a very relative term. That's why residents would find it interesting to go through the eligibility criteria and guidelines of the award and also the details of the final award winners,” said a resident of Gangtok.

The Sikkim government headed by Golay has looked to address some social issues in the past too.

The Golay government has started a scheme to provide assistance of Rs 3 lakh to women for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment to help increase the fertility rate.

According to the National Family Health Survey from a period of 2019 to 2021, Sikkim’s fertility rate is the lowest in India, 1.1 compared to the national rate of 2.0.

Sikkim, with an estimated population of about 6.8 lakh, is the least populated state in the country.