The Bihar government is distributing condoms and contraceptives to quarantined migrants when they are discharged from the mandatory 14-days quarantine period.

The Bihar State Health Society (BSHS) has launched the campaign to promote family planning in the densely populated State.

“At the time of migrants’ discharge from quarantine and isolation centres, the health workers not only give them tips on family planning but also provide packets of condoms, contraceptives and pregnancy kits to them,” said a BSHS official.

The distribution had already started in districts such as Gopalgunj, Jamui, Samastipur, Supaul, Saran, Rohtas and East Champaran, he added.

Besides, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) healthcare workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) had also been asked to provide contraceptives and condoms to those migrants during their door-to-door screening survey, he further said.

“As lakhs of people have returned home due to COVID-19 lockdown, distribution of contraceptives among them is a good initiative for population control,” said Utpal Das, associated with the BSHS.

Gopalgunj civil surgeon T.N. Singh said “the migrants workers are also being counselled on family planning by our health workers”. Over 20,000 packets had already been distributed in Gopalgunj district and the remaining 7,000 migrants too would get them at the time of their discharge, he added.

Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India

Samastipur civil surgeon Rati Raman Jha said, “since migrants are coming from other States, there is a threat of population explosion here so our family welfare officers at block levels have started distributing condoms and contraceptives to them at the time of their discharge from quarantine centres”.

Pledge for migrants

The migrants also have to take a pledge of “maintaining social distance and not to go outside home unless it is very important”.

But, many migrants are taking a dig at the government’s new initiative. “When they couldn’t provide us proper food and clean toilets at the quarantine centres, they are giving us condom packets as return gifts with a rider to maintain social distance…what more ridicule can the government heap on us,” a migrant from Basdila quarantine centre in Gopalgunj told The Hindu over phone.

“The government should distribute food grains and generate employment for us rather than condoms and contraceptives,” said his friend. Both the labourers returned recently from Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Bihar government has announced that all block-level quarantine centres will be shut from June 15 and those returning to Bihar from Tuesday will not be quarantined.

Watch | COVID-19: Dos and don'ts from the Health Ministry

State Public Relation Department secretary Anupam Kumar on Monday said that over eight lakh migrants had returned to their home from block level quarantine centres and over 5.26 lakh were still housed at 11,581 such centres.

Besides, the government was also running 53 disaster relief camps in the State where over 11,000 migrants were housed, he added.

Bihar, so far, has reported 23 deaths and 1,741 recoveries with a total of 3,945 COVID-19 positive cases.