AIZAWL, June 15 - The Young Mizo Association (YMA), the largest civil society organisation of Mizoram, has advocated a �baby boom� policy for the State where the population density is 52 persons per square kilometre against the national average of 382 per square kilometre.
Addressing the golden jubilee of the Venghlui branch of the YMA on the occasion of the YMA raising day here today, YMA president Vanlalruata said Mizo people often have to undergo cultural and social assimilation as their population is very small. The YMA chief said that efforts should be made to encourage every Mizo family to have more children.
No community which has a minimal population can become a great nation, Vanlalruata said, while making a case for giving teeth to his organisation in order to protect the Mizo society.
Vanlalruata exhorted the local people to be self-dependent in order to avoid economic assimilation from �outside�.
On the drugs menace in Mizoram, the YMA chief said that his organisation has declared a war against it since 2004 and due to the efforts of the YMA volunteers, cases of drug abuse have significantly declined.
The YMA celebrated its 83rd raising day across the State on Friday, marking it as a day for community and philanthropic service.
YMA branches across the State organised programmes during which members conducted cleanliness drives at villages and on streets. Volunteers also constructed houses for poor people and distributed cash to the needy and hospital patients.
In some localities and villages, sports events and special functions were held as part of the celebration. The YMA raising day has been declared a holiday by the State Government.
The YMA is the largest non-profit, secular and non-governmental organisation of the Mizo people. It was established on June 15, 1935, as the Young Lushai Association, which was later renamed YMA in 1947. It was initiated by Welsh missionaries who underscored the need of cultural conservation of the Mizo tribe, which was under pressure of political and social modernisation.
The YMA is administered by its central committee headquartered here. There are five sub-headquarters, 47 groups and 805 branches, which cover all of Mizoram and some parts of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. At present, the YMA has a total membership of more than 4 lakh.
