In Depth: Jiyo Parsi

The Parsis are a community who originally came to India after fleeing religious persecution in their homeland Persia in the 8th to the 10th century AD.
Over the centuries, the Parsis have distinguished themselves through their industriousness expertise and ability in diverse fields, that range from the creative arts to running businesses across the spectrum of nation building activity.
Unfortunately over the years, the Parsis have also suffered an alarming decline in population numbers. From about a population of 1 lakh 14 thousand members in 1941, the community declined to about just 57 thousand two hundred and sixty four people in 2011.
Taking note of this, the Government started a special initiative to encourage Parsis to increase their numbers. The Jiyo Parsi Scheme began in September 2013 to encourage Parsi couples to have more children.
Since then, over the last five years, the community has reported 214 births through assisted reproductive techniques.
Enthused by the results, the government is considering allocating more funds for the scheme for the next financial year.
Today in In Depth we focus on this scheme for this unique community, we will look at their contributions to the country, their origins and their efforts to make a difference.

Anchor: Aditi Girotra