CALCUTTA: `No Hindu widower shall marry anyone who is not a widow`. This is the chief provision of a private member`s bill introduced in the Bengal Legislative Assembly, which has been recirculated this session by the House for further eliciting of public opinion.

The bill provides that violation of the provision shall be punishable with simple imprisonment up to six months or fine of up to Rs.1,000/or both.

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill emphasises that it is absolutely necessary that more effective steps should be taken so that the number of widow remarriages may increase.

`The number of widowers in Bengal is more than five lakhs. It may safely be assumed that half of them will marry again. If it is provided that a widower, whenever he marries again, should marry a widow, all widows between the ages of five and 25 may get themselves remarried. This, it is hoped may solve the problem of widow remarriage in Bengal to some extent. Dawn Delhi