The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to give condoms as "shagun" to newlyweds to promote family planning among the young couples.
The "nayi pahal kit for newlyweds" will be distributed by the local Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers who were instituted by the Central government's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
The kits also contain oral contraceptive pills.
Why are India's health workers refusing to distribute condoms?
The kits also contain a letter from the health department to highlight the importance of family planning and the ideal minimum gap between having two children.
The initiative, which aims to stabilise population, is being rolled out under Mission Parivar Vikas, a family planning scheme that will be launched by the Union Health Ministry on July 11— World Population Day.
"The aim is to prepare newly wed couples about responsibilities of married life," said Avneesh Saxena, project manager of Mission Parivar Vikas.
Besides containing packets of condoms, emergency contraceptive pills, general oral contraceptive pills, the kit will contain items like a pack of towels and handkerchief, a nail-cutter and a comb.
The brochure in the kit will carry a set of FAQs on various issues in simple language.
To facilitate those who cannot read, ASHA workers will read out the information written in the documents and also answer the newlyweds' queries.
