Kerala Catholic Diocese Launches Welfare Scheme For Families With Over 5 Children

Under the initiative, couples who married after 2000 and have five or more children will be offered monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500.

A Catholic church diocese under the Syro-Malabar church in central Kerala has announced a welfare scheme for families with five or more children - a move being seen as encouraging the community to boost its population. Under an initiative, launched by the Family Apostolate under the Pala diocese of the church, couples who married after 2000 and have five or more children will be offered monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500. "It was announced as part of the 'Year of the Family' celebrations by the church. This initiative is to provide assistance to large families especially in the post-Covid scenario. We will start receiving applications soon and most probably, we will be able to hand out assistance from August," Fr Joseph Kuttiankal, who heads the Family Apostolate under the church, told news agency PTI. Asked whether the move is part of a pastoral letter issued by the Changanacherry Archdiocese in 2019 suggesting that the Christian population in Kerala has dwindled over the years, Fr Kuttiankal said that issue was a "reality".