Noida couples ‘renew’ wedding vows for goodies
NOIDA : A few married couples “renewed their vows” at an event organised by the state government under the chief minister’s Samuhik Vivah Yojna in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar district last month, leaving the authorities unimpressed.
Turns out, there was nothing romantic about their gesture. The couples had simply come along to collect the monetary doles customarily given away by the government to impoverished women who tie the knot under the government’s marital initiative.
As many as 66 couples — 45 Hindu and 21 Muslim — were wedded at the event in Greater Noida on February 24. The government transferred ₹20,000 into the bank account of each bride, besides gifting her with household items worth ₹10,000. This, along with ~5,000 spent on food and music, took the total expenditure per head to ~35,000.
The district authorities discovered on Monday that a few of these couples were already married, and had gone through the procedure again simply to avail of benefits prescribed under the government scheme. The district magistrate has ordered an inquiry into the case.
A preliminary investigation showed that while 61 couples were registered through the block development officer, 10 more were added by the district’s chief development officer (CDO) at the last moment on February 23. Of the 71 registered couples, 66 tied the knot at the event.
District officials said the CDO received the 10 additional entries from the husband of the gram pradhan (village head) of a village in Dankaur block. “The CDO added the names of the 10 couples in good faith, without conducting a thorough verification. Of these, a few have already been found to be fraudulent. We have launched a probe into the matter, and will take strict legal action against the culprits,” said district magistrate BN Singh.
The marriages are usually registered through the block development officer, who verifies if the couples concerned are genuine. The official, however, could not perform a background check on the 10 names added at the last moment.