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Father of 24 is not kidding

In a rebuff to official pleas to limit families, Abdul has added a child to his brood of 23.

He does not think there is anything wrong in adding to the numbers, oblivious as he is about the country having touched the billion mark in population.

However, it is not one woman he has burdened with the onerous task of producing his progenies. The latest addition to Abdul's family is by his third wife Jahanara. Incidentally his daughter is expecting her first child soon.

Daily wage labourer Abdul works at Nagaon and eight of his children are now old enough to extend a helping hand and add to the family income. He has sent two children to madrasas.

Abdul was first married when just 14 years old. He remarried when he was a father of six. Jahanara was just 11 when he married her a decade back.

The baby boom of 24 in just one family, which officially should be shared by as many families going by 'one baby per family', and the disregard of minimum marriage age is violations rampant in these areas. Borne out of ignorance and belief in god's will" the system is delivering babies not only by the dozen but scores and more.

UNI

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