The government is planning a pilot study soon to examine acceptability of the female condom before including it in the national programmes of family planning and AIDS control.
"It is a pilot project to study whether people will accept it. The study will be conducted in six states among sex workers and married couples to get their response," a senior official of the National AIDS Control Organisation told PTI on Saturday.
The study will be given a final approval by the Technical Advisory Panel of NACO next week.
Though the female condom is sold in the market, it is not widely popular as the male condoms are with the main reason being its cost. A pack of two is sold for Rs 200. But for the study it will be available for Rs 5.
The states where this study will be conducted include Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka -- with significant HIV infected -- and Gujarat.
West Bengal, which falls under the highly vulnerable category, will also be part of the study.
A total of 3,400 sex workers will try these condoms to check their efficacy in controlling HIV infection, while 200 married couples in Lucknow and Jaipur will use them as a contraceptive.
"We have selected 13 NGOs to distribute them. The female condom will not be a replacment for the male condom. We just want to empower women so that they are in a position to use them if their male partners choose not to use protection. Also, a woman is better armed if she uses a female condom against HIV infection," he said.
