Newborns to get horoscopes at Raj hospitals: Proposal

Rajasthan hospitals will hand over new mothers their baby's horoscope when they send them home after the delivery, if a proposal being mulled by the state government is implemented.

The hospital-delivered horoscope would also suggest what the newborn should be named, the proposal says.

The proposal was initiated at a meeting of January 3 by the state's Sanskrit education department.

The Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University (JRRSU)-Jaipur was made the nodal agency to prepare the proposal.

The department was following up on the Congress election manifesto that promised to encourage the study of Sanskrit, and also set up a 'Vedik Sanskar evam Shiksha Board' to promote Vedic knowledge.

The proposal on horoscopes has been prepared and forwarded to the government for further action, Ashok Sharma, university's registrar said.

The proposal has suggested six names for the horoscope scheme with 'Rajiv Gandhi Janmapatri-Naamkaran Yojna' being one of them.

The scheme's pilot project will be rolled out in five government hospitals in Jaipur as a free service, the proposal says.

At a later stage, the scheme will be implemented in all government and private hospitals if the proposal is accepted. New parents will pay Rs 51 for this at government hospitals and private hospitals will charge Rs 101.

The proposal claims the idea promotes Sanskrit and Vedic knowledge. It will also help 3,000 astrologers, who will be reimbursed for their efforts.

The government's initiative is welcome as it underlines the importance of Sanskrit language. This is on the lines of our traditional Hindu culture, Shastri Koshalendra Das, who is an assistant professor at the JRRSU, said.

The astrologers engaged as resource persons under the scheme should have a degree or diploma in astrology and a licence from the state government or the JRRSU.

The astrologers will get Rs 40 out of Rs 51 charged at government hospitals and Rs 80 out of Rs 101 paid by parents at private hospitals. Under the proposal, the remaining amount will go to the university.

A unique code will be given for every horoscope and a more detailed analysis can be downloaded from the university's website by paying Rs 200.