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Every Ticket a Winner - India's Sterilisation Lottery

October 1, 2012

India's population has already reached 1.22 billion people and it's constantly growing. While birth rates among the new middle class in urban areas have diminished considerably, large families in the countryside are still the norm.

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In an effort to reduce birth rates, especially in rural regions, authorities recently introduced a program that's likely to raise eyebrows in other parts of the world. Women are being offered the chance to win big rewards by opting for sterilization. In the state of Rajasthan, women receive 600 rupies (about 9 euros) as soon as they've undergone the procedure. In addition they are automatically entered in a lottery. The prizes range from televisions, kitchen appliances to even cars. Offering incentives to volunteer for sterilization has fuelled plenty of criticism, but India's health authorities say the campaign is a big success.