Moscow: Russia could seen have a new ministry – the Ministry of Sex.
Vladimir Putin loyalist Nina Ostanina, chairperson of Russian Parliament’s Committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Maternity & Childhood is reviewing a petition which has proposed setting up such a ministry to tackle the country’s declining birth rate, Mirror reported.
The initiative is part of various strategies officials are formulating to address the Russian President’s call to reverse the country’s demographic decline, worsened by significant loss of lives due to the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for 2 years and 9 months.
According to Moskvich magazine, a petition by GlavPR agency advocated the idea of the Ministry of Sex, which would spearhead birth-rate initiatives.
“Everyone in the city knows that there is a special test which allows us to establish the fertility level of a woman, her ability to get pregnant,” Deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova told Mirror, urging women to prioritise having children and thereby emphasising the urgency of Kremlin’s goals.
How to go about it
* An unusual, slightly bizarre proposal suggests turning off the Internet — and also the lights — between 10 pm and 2 am to encourage couples to engage in intimate activities.
* Another idea is for the government to pay stay-at-home mothers for housework, with these earnings contributing to pension calculations also.
* The government has been suggested to fund first dates up to 5,000 roubles (£40) to promote relationships.
* Public funds to cover wedding-night hotel stays for couples, up to a value of 26,300 roubles (£208), to encourage pregnancies.