In Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Dindori district, a controversy erupted over alleged pregnancy tests as part of eligibility for Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah – a mass marriage scheme in which the state government provides a Rs 51,000 grant to each bride. According to reports, the test was performed before the beneficiaries were to take part in the Akshay Tritiya mass marriage ceremony on Saturday, and four women were removed due to positive pregnancy tests. Following this development, the opposition Congress demanded to know the guidelines under which these women were subjected to the tests. According to Markam Singh, a local MLA, four women were disqualified from the scheme due to positive reports.
He claimed that by conducting such tests, the government not only insulted the poor women but also put their lives in danger after the results were released. According to the Dindori district administration, 219 women from Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) families were brides in the mass marriage ceremony, which was attended by local leaders and officials. The controversy erupted further after state Congress President Kamal Nath raised concerns about women’s ‘pregnancy tests’ and demanded a high-level investigation into the matter.
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