Migration, Fertility: Why Akal Takht Is Urging Sikhs To Have More Children
The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, is urging community members to marry by age 30 and have at least three children. This call comes amid concerns over declining fertility rates in Punjab and shifting demographic patterns.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of religious leadership, demographic anxiety, and public policy in India's Punjab region.
Sikhs form the largest chunk of the electorate and decide the outcome of most Punjab elections. However, a large segment of the youth migrating abroad for studies or jobs, along with the influx of labourers from other states, has made community traditionalists anxious over rural population shifts and changing local footprints.Another reason prompting the Akal Takht heads to encourage Sikhs to have more children and marry at a prime reproductive age is the declining Sikh population. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) published in November 2021 reported that Punjab's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) had dropped to 1.6. This survey was conducted between January 5 and March 21, and resumed between December 6, 2020, and March 31, 2021.
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