Shocking! This website calculates dowry for grooms of all colours; gets reported by Jyotiraditya Scindia

When you click on the skin colour option , you will get options like “pitch black (not visible on a moonless night)” and “wheatish (Almost white. Would need some Fair n Lovely)”, apart from others like black, brown, white and fairy white

New Delhi: Unbelievable as it may sound to many, but a website that calculates the dowry worth of prospective grooms in India is actually there on the internet space, advising men to ‘slog hard’ for their ‘dream dowry’, at a time when India is grappling with cases of dowry-deaths. Even more shocking are the parameters that the calculator takes into account before deciding what amount of dowry should a groom demand for. The website caught the attention of Madhya Pradesh MP Jyotiraditya Scindia who tweeted to PMO and Ministry of women and Child Development to look into the matter.

Someone just brought this site to my attention. Absolutely shameful! Let me remind the developers that giving or taking dowry is illegal in India. I urge the @MinistryWCD, @PMOIndia to take immediate action against this.https://t.co/KQWBxQtd7J

— Jyotiraditya Scindia (@JM_Scindia) May 28, 2018

The website advises and prompts men to work hard for a better dowry as if ‘dowry’ is the culmination of all the achievements in their life. When you log into the website, you will be asked to provide details like your age, caste, current profession, salary, father’s profession, location of job, height and even skin colour. You will be further shocked to read the derogatory options available for each of the questions. When you click on the skin colour option , you will get options like “pitch black (not visible on a moonless night)” and “wheatish (Almost white. Would need some Fair n Lovely)”,  apart from others like black, brown, white and fairy white. In the caste section, all options from Baniya to Brahmin are available. We tested the site and found that a prospective groom aged 25 years working as an IAS would get a dowry of Rs. 1 crore. A congratulatory message appeared on the screen reading: “ Congratulations! Your current dowry rate is 1 Crore. Besides the cash amount, you are assured a lavish wedding, a land property (given you negotiate your price well), hefty and expensive jewelry, and even a foreign tour with your wife - all with your in-laws' hard earned money. Hasn't someone correctly said, "The best things in life are free"? Now, you can bask in the glory of your achievements. The day has arrived. All these years of hard work, and investment in education has finally paid off. You have made your parents proud. Bravo!” For a self-employed groom aged around 30, the calculated dowry is 35 lakhs. The amount appears on the website with a consolation message: “Your current dowry rate is  35 Lakh. It is a decent amount, but who wants to settle for decent when there is an entire range of awesomeness available? You could achieve an awesome dowry amount too. Remember the guy who right now deserves the highest dowry, even he at once upon a time started with a market price of zero. Your dream dowry amount awaits you. Be a man, and slog hard for it.” The dowry prohibition Act of 1961 prohibits receiving/giving of dowry. It is also punishable under different provisions of the Indian Penal Code.