Dolakha, May 14 -- Bhimeshwor Municipality in Dolakha has announced cash incentives for women who give birth to a third child, in an unusual local initiative aimed at reversing a steady decline in population and addressing growing labour shortages in the local unit.

The municipality introduced the scheme in the fiscal year 2024-25 after its population continued to shrink for years. The local unit continued the programme by revising its procedures to make it further effective.

Various reports published in the media said that rural settlements are turning into 'ghost villages' across the country due to unchecked outmigration and low population growth rate. The 2021 national census revealed Nepal's lowest population growth rate in decades,...