Nilambur

Muslim-dominated Nilambur village panchayat in Malappuram district of Kerala has embarked upon a mission to make the village dowry-free. If the local body succeeds in the year-long drive, Nilambur would emerge as the first dowry-free panchayat in the country.

The local body has lined up a slew of projects, mainly sensitization programmes, to wean the people away from the practice of dowry. The panchayat would, next week, launch a website, www. dowryfreemarriage.com, on which prospective brides and grooms from Nilambur and elsewhere can upload their profiles and fix matches without dowry.