The governor of a central Russian province urged couples to skip work Wednesday and make love instead to help boost Russia?s low birth-rate.

And if a woman gives birth in exactly nine months time ? on Russia?s national day on June 12 ? she will qualify for a prize, perhaps even winning a new home.

?It?s normally something for the home ? a fridge or a television set,? Yelena Yakovleva at the Ulyanovsk regional administration press office, said.

Russia wants to reverse a trend in which the population is shrinking by about 700,000 people a year as births fail to outpace a high death rate boosted by AIDS, alcoholism and suicide. This is the third year Ulyanovsk region, famous as the birthplace of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, has dedicated a day to encouraging couples to produce more babies.

Prizes will extend equally to unwed women who produce children on the right day, though the biggest prizes will go to married couples.