The Uttar Pradesh government in India is gifting a free kit equipped with condoms, oral contraceptives and literature on safe sex to newly-married couples to create awareness about family planning.
The distribution of ‘shagun’ or the auspicious package is part of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government’s ‘Mission Parivar Vikas’ or family planning scheme which was launched in July last year.
The scheme now aims at reaching out to people in 145 districts across the country with high birth rates.
Accredited Social Health Activist or ASHA workers have been entrusted with the job of handing out the packages which also include towels, handkerchiefs, a nail-cutter, a comb and a mirror set- a little something for both the bride and the groom.
The ASHA activists have been well-trained to interact with couples especially with the ones who aren’t literate. 
It is however, interesting to note that the same BJP government went ahead and slapped a nationwide ban on condom advertisements on television during prime-time, nearly five months after launching the family planning scheme.
Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) Source: Twitter
A statement was issued by the information and broadcasting ministry in December 2017 ordering the ban on condom commercials between 6 am and 10 pm as they could be “indecent” and “inappropriate” for children.
The move triggered widespread criticism on social media with progressive groups lampooning the ban, the timing and the moral policing.
At 1.3 billion, India’s population is presently second largest in the world after China.
According to a United Nations estimate, if it keeps growing at the current rate, India is likely to become the most populated in the world by 2024.
