Guwahati, June 12: If Dispur has its way, prospective brides and grooms will soon have to rush for an HIV test before entering into wedlock.

The state government today decided to introduce a law that will make it mandatory for couples to undergo an HIV test before marriage.

The decision came with a scheme for the rehabilitation of orphans whose parents have died of the AIDS virus as well as incentives for those who undergo anti-retroviral treatment (ART).

This was announced by chief minister Tarun Gogoi at a meeting of the Legislative Forum on HIV/AIDS, of which he is the chairman.

The 17-member all-party forum was formed in May this year to review and monitor implementation of the AIDS Control Programme. It was also mandated to prepare a draft legislation, when required.

The forum today held a threadbare discussion on the prospective legislation at its meeting at the chief minister’s conference hall. The objective of the proposed law is to control the spread of AIDS in the state.

The proposed legislation will make it mandatory for prospective brides and grooms to present HIV test reports to confirm their HIV-free status.

The first AIDS case in Assam was detected in September 1990. In March 2007, there were 612 AIDS cases in the state. Of these, 460 are men and 152 women.

Before enacting the legislation, the state government will hold consultative meetings to evolve a consensus across society. It is being anticipated that there could be opposition from several quarters against such a law. “Legal opinion will also be required for making HIV tests compulsory as existing rules only allow voluntary tests,” Assam State AIDS Control Society director J. Shyamala Rao pointed out.

Two other states, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, too, are planning to bring in such legislation, in the footsteps of Goa. However, Goa was forced to withdraw the legislation in the face of public outcry, the officials added.

The number of persons put on ART has increased by 67.31 per cent this year as compared to 2005-06. To bring more people under the ART net, the government is working on a package of incentives for those undergoing treatment.

Rao said the government was considering the option of transporting patients to ART centres free of charge.

This was to encourage impoverished people from far-flung areas to come to the centres for taking advantage of ART treatment, Rao added.

This was in addition to the government’s plans to make certain periodical tests free of cost, such as the test for hepatitis, which is mandatory for an HIV-infected patient.

The testing for CD4 cell count is already carried out gratis. Rao said the government would soon come out with a microfinance scheme to economically support HIV-infected persons. Another scheme for supporting children orphaned by AIDS is also in the pipeline, Rao added.

He said the details of the schemes were being worked out and would be announced by the government soon.