DNA

Mumbai, Jan 31: Testing for HIV could soon be compulsory before marriage in Maharashtra. A 25-member committee set up by the state government on Wednesday recommended that this be done. But the government will move a bill in the assembly only after a public debate over the next three months.  

Maharashtra is set to be the first state with such a law as the move was crippled in Goa and Andhra Pradesh for various reasons.

“After getting public opinions and debates in all the regions the final decision of bringing bill will be taken,’ said Dr Vimal Mundada, Public Health minister who headed the committee.

Though a few of the members raised objections, most were in favour of making the test mandatory. “Shortcomings in implementation should not stop us from making a law,” said MLA Satej Patil, who had raised the issue in the last monsoon session in the assembly.

Objecting to compulsion, MA Aziz, MLC, said some people would make money out of it. “It won’t be difficult to get a bogus certificate.”