State govt plans to give horoscopes at birth
TRADITION The pilot scheme is aimed at promoting vedic rituals, creating job opportunities and helping parents name their children according to the shastras
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government is working on a proposal to provide horoscopes to all newborns in government and private hospitals and suggest a name for them according to the rashi (zodiac sign), according to a copy of the proposal accessed by HT.
In the first phase of the plan, the scheme will be rolled out in five government hospitals in Jaipur where newborns will be given their horoscopes free of cost. In the second phase, t he government hospitals will charge ~51 and private hospitals ~101 for each horoscope.
There are 16,728 government hospitals in Rajasthan and 54 registered private hospitals.
The Congress promised, in its 2018 assembly election manifesto, to promote
Sanskrit education and Sanskrit language, and to set up a vedic rituals and education board.
The proposal said it is aimed at fulfilling that promise.
A meeting in this regard was held on January 3 following which Jaipur-based Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University (JRRSU) was made the nodal agency to prepare the proposal.
According to the proposal, the scheme may be called Rajiv Gandhi Janmapatri-namkaran Yojana; the scheme will help promote vedic rituals and help parents name their children according to the shastras.
“The scheme will help in promotion of Sanskrit and vedic knowledge and provide employment to at least 3,000 astrologers,” the proposal reads.
The astrologers should have a degree or diploma in astrology and will get licence from the state government or JRRSU, the proposal says.
After the second phase is rolled out, the astrologers will get ~40 in government and ~80 in private hospital for every horoscope. JRRSU will get the remaining ~ 11 and ~ 21, respectively.
As a pilot, the s c heme will be implemented in Jaipur’s Zenana Hospital, Mahila Chikitsalaya, Kanwatiya Hospital, Jaipuria Hospital and Sethi Colony Satellite Hospital.
Each horoscope will have a unique code using which the parents can later download detailed analysis from the university’s website after paying ~ 200.
The scheme will be implemented by JRRSU and Sanskrit education, medical and health, statistics and social justice and empowerment departments will be part of it.
An officer of the Sanskrit education department said the scheme was in a very initial stage when reached out for comment. He requested anonymity.
JRRSU r e gi s t r ar Ashok Sharma said the university had made the proposal but refused to divulge details.
Former education minister and BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani welcomed the proposal.
“It is a good move in the direction of promoting vedic knowledge and Indian culture. I welcome it,” he said.
Sanskrit scholar Shastri Kosalendradas said: “Planets have an impact on all aspects of a human’s life.
This is proven by Indian shastra traditions. The government’s plan will not only underline the importance of astrology among the common people; it will also create new job opportunities.”