Condoms And Contraceptives Gifted To Newlyweds At Madhya Pradesh Mass Wedding

In a mass wedding event in Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, the newlywed couples found condoms and contraceptive pills inside make-up boxes that were presented to them.

The mass wedding was organised as a part of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana scheme, which aims to help women from economically underprivileged sections get married. 296 couples were married in Thandla and were distributed condoms and contraceptives as a part of the scheme.

Condoms Gifted At Mass Wedding

Senior district official Bhursingh Rawat stated that they weren’t responsible for distributing the condoms and contraceptives and that it was possible that officials from the state health department might have distributed them as part of an awareness programme. He added that under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana scheme, only Rs. 49,000 was provided to the beneficiary’s bank accounts. They also provide food, water, and a tent, which costs Rs. 6,000.

The Madhya Pradesh government launched the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana scheme in 2006 with the aim of providing financial assistance to women in the lower economic strata. The government provides the bride’s family with Rs. 55,000 under the scheme.

MP Brides Asked To Take Pregnancy Test

Last month, brides-to-be were forced to undergo "pregnancy tests" at a mass wedding in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh. The mass wedding event consisted of 219 couples under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana scheme in the Gadsarai area, an area dominated by tribals.

The Press Trust of India reported that some women were withheld from the mass wedding event because their ">pregnancy results turned out to be positive. One of the brides-to-be told India Today that the community health centre conducted the medical examination after she was made to take a pregnancy test. She claimed that she had been living with her fiancée before the wedding. However, she said that her name was taken off the marriage scheme because her pregnancy result turned out to be positive.

While this incident was called out by many, the chief medical officer of Dindori said that the tests were performed to verify the ages of the bride and the groom, to check for sickle cell anaemia, and to make sure they were physically fit.

Suggested Reading: MP Marriage Scheme Probe, 6,000 Weddings In Two Years In Vidisha District: Report

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