The Madhya Pradesh government has announced that widows in the state will be referred to as "Kalyanis" in all official documents, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said.

According to official sources, the Chief Minister said this on the occasion of International Women's Day on Wednesday at a private event organised by a news channel.

On Wednesday, Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Archana Chitnis in the state assembly stressed on the point of empowerment of women and also called for the portrayal of widows in a positive light.

She said the word "Vidhwa" (widow) should be done away with by the society.

The WCD Minister expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the step taken and said he again proved his sensitivity and respect towards women which would help in the empowerment of women in society.