Goa govt likely to make HIV test mandatory before marriage

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday said the state government is planning to take the HIV test mandatory for couples before registration of marriage. The government intends to bring in a legislation for this, he told reporters here.

"The plan is to take the HIV test mandatory for couples before registration of marriage in Goa," he said. The Goa law department is vetting the proposal to make the test compulsory in the coastal state, he said.

"Once the legislation is cleared by the law department, we can introduce it in the state Assembly during the upcoming monsoon session," Rane said. In 2006, the then Congress-led state government proposed similar legislation which met with opposition from several quarters.