A total of 6,461 couples in North China’s Shanxi province have got the right to have a second child as of March 16, according to figures from provincial health authorities on March 18.

The authorities received the applications after the province eased its one-child policy last May.

The two-child policy was put into practice in early 2014 and did not lead to the baby boom in many provinces in China. [Photo by Zou Zhongpin/for China Daily]

China has adopted a one-child policy since late 1970s. According to the policy, a couple normally can only have one child. The policy has eased in recent years, with a married couple allowed to have a second child if the husband or the wife is a single child.

In order to better meet the demand of couples who want to have a second child in Shanxi, all the cities in the province have improved their services in various aspects; for example, the procedures for getting a birth certificate for a second child has been simplified and an online application system has been put in place to facilitate application.

According to a survey by the local government, the average number of second children in Shanxi would range from 27,000 to 34,000 before 2020.

The new two-child policy has been started in Shanxi from May 29, 2014.

China launched the two-child policy at the end of 2013, and it has been soon implemented in many provinces.