Currently, India has the second largest population in the world after China.  However, it is estimated that India will surpass China by 2023 and become the most populous country in the world.

Though the birth rates are falling in the country, the population continues to grow. More than 30 per cent of people in the country are in the reproductive age group. Hence the population is growing in the country.

The rising population creates many problems in the country. Hence, the Odisha government stepped ahead to control the population.

To raise awareness about family planning among newly wedded couples, the Odisha government decided to give wedding kits.

The wedding kits contain condoms, contraceptive pills, and a booklet on various methods of family planning and their benefits. In addition, the government also provides them with their marriage registration certificate.

These wedding kits are gifted to newly wedded couples as part of the Nai Pahal Scheme of the National Health Mission (NHM). The scheme is expected to begin in September. It intends to create awareness among them about family planning methods.

The Odisha government assigned the duty of distribution of wedding kits to Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). The ASHA workers will visit the houses of newly married couples to distribute the wedding kits.

They will be trained for the proper distribution of these kits and to motivate the newly wedded couples to adopt family planning methods.

In addition to informing healthy family methods, they encourage couples to follow healthy spacing between pregnancies.

Also, couples will be given a special gift pack. It contains pregnancy tests and items used in grooming like a comb, mirror, nail cutter, etc.

Odisha will be the first state to launch such a scheme for newly wedded couples. The state government says that the initiative will begin from the district and block levels.

Image Credit: Yogita, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_wedding_Delhi.jpg