Planning to marry? Don’t forget to collect govt ‘shagun’
ALLAHABAD : As part of its efforts to promote family planning, the state health department has started distributing a special gift (shagun) to all newlyweds, an official said.
The gift comprises marriage registration form, a pack of condoms, contraceptive pills, home pregnancy testing kit along with awareness material and other daily utility items like comb, bindi, mirror, handkerchief and towel etc.
“This shagun is part of Nai Pahal Scheme under the National Health Mission and is aimed at raising awareness about the need of adopting temporary and permanent methods of family planning by young couples. The scheme has been launched in 57 districts of Uttar Pradesh having high fertility rate and Allahabad is one of them,” said Vinod Kumar Singh, district project manager of NHM in Allahabad.
The Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers are entrusted with the task of distributing the kit to the newlywed couples.
Singh said the kit also has a congratulatory message from the health and family welfare minister.
Besides, the contact details of Asha and health workers are also present in the kit.
Singh said the Asha workers have been trained for gifting the kit in a proper manner to newlywed couples and encouraging them to adopt family planning methods.
“The scheme has been launched in districts like Agra, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Balia, Sultanpur, Ambedkarnagar, Faizabad, Deoria, Azamgarh, Sitapur, Hardoi etc. We are keeping a close watch on the progress of the scheme,” he added.