Condoms, birth control pills given to newlyweds at mass weddings in Madhya Pradesh
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Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's mass wedding scheme runs into controversy after condoms and contraceptive pills were found in make-up boxes given to brides in Jhabua district on Monday.
As many as 296 couples belonging to economically weaker sections were wedded at the mass wedding event in Thandla.
The packets containing condoms and contraceptives were found inside make-up boxes distributed to newlyweds as part of the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana.
However, the senior district official Bhursingh Rawat passed the buck to the state health department saying that health officials might have been behind distributing condoms and contraceptives as part of awareness for family planning.
Rawat was quoted as saying that ‘We are not responsible for distributing the condoms and the contraceptive pills’.
The official further said that under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana, ₹ 49,000 is directly transferred to the beneficiary's bank account.
‘We are responsible for providing food, water, and a tent, which amounts to ₹ 6,000. I had no idea what was in the packets that were distributed,’ Rawat further said.
The scheme last month stirred up controversy after some brides were forced to take pregnancy test prior to wedding event at Gadsarai area of Dindori.
However, the chief medical officer of Dindori claimed that the tests were usually carried out to verify the age of the bride and groom, adding it could help diagnose sickle cell anemia, in order to ensure that newlyweds are physically fit.
