A rural municipality ward in western Nepal has announced a cash award to couples who have more than two children to boost the population of the region.

Ward No. 1 of Ribdikot rural municipality in Palpa district has decided to provide a Rs 5,000 cash award from mid-July to those couples who bear more than two children, Chiranjivi Pokharel, the chairman of the ward, said.

"We needed to announce the award to increase the population because an increased number of people means more development activities," he said.

Most of the fertile land in the area remains unused due to a lack of population and there are fewer students in schools and farmlands remain uncultivated, the chairman said.

This year, Ribdikot has allocated Rs. 60,000 in the budget to award 12 couples in the beginning and the amount will be increased by next year, he said.

According to the census carried out in 2011, there were 2,034 people in Ward No. 1 of Ribdikot.

However, the latest census in 2021 showed there were 300 people less than the previous census, according to the information provided by Pokharel.

An increasing number of youths going abroad for jobs is one of the main reasons behind the decrease in population, he pointed out.

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