The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is planning to organise mass weddings for poor Muslim girls in the state. “Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has given his consent to mass weddings of poor girls belonging to minority communities and we have included it in the 100 days’ programme of the state government,” Minister of State for Minorities Affairs Mohsin Raza said on April 13.
Muslims account for nearly 20 per cent of the state’s population and a lion’s share of the scheme will go to girls from that community. A proposal for the same is being prepared, the MoS said, adding that besides extending monetary assistance of Rs 20,000 to each girl, the government will bear other expenses for the mass wedding.
He said the idea of mass weddings for girls from minority communities, which would also include Sikhs and Christians, has come from the chief minister himself.
Ever since he was picked for the state’s top job, Yogi Adityanath, seen for years as the BJP’s Hindutva mascot, has been emphasizing on the message of “discrimination towards none and development for all”.
Giving details of the scheme, Raza said it will be run with Central assistance for which sadbhavna mandaps will be set up by the department of minorities welfare. Around 100 weddings would be held in every district after selecting eligible candidates, he said. Initially, it will be a pilot project, and if it receives a good response, the government plans to make it a bi-annual affair, he said.
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