SINGAPORE: Singapore on Monday announced increased cash bonuses for parents of newborn babies and introduced paternity leave as part of a package of measures to boost population and reduce dependence on foreigners. Parents of Singaporean babies born since Aug. 26 last year will receive a cash gift of Sg$ 6,000 ($ 4,900) — a rise of 50 percent, which applies to each of a couple’s first two children.

The financial incentive will rise to Sg$ 8,000 for a couple’s third and fourth babies, as the government attempts to offset the high cost of raising a family — one of the gripes often aired by young couples in the city-state. At least one parent must be a Singapore citizen to be eligible for the handout.

The government will subsidise one week of paternity leave for fathers of babies born from May 1 this year, the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) agency also announced in a press release. In addition, new fathers will be eligible to stay off work for a second week by taking a chunk of the standard 16-week maternity leave granted to their wives, it added.