Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Sunday, announced that the Uttar Pradesh government has successfully facilitated 3.84 lakh marriages under its mass marriage programme in the last seven years with the number expected to exceed four lakh by the end of this wedding session.
Addressing a gathering at a mass marriage ceremony held on the Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited premises, Yogi stated that the state government’s mass marriage programme, organised by the Social Welfare Department, symbolises both social equality and a strong stand against the dowry system, a deeply ingrained social ill.
He emphasised that the programme is inclusive, with no restrictions based on caste, religion, region or language. “Hindus, Muslims and followers of other faiths are all uniting in marriage according to their respective traditions. The programme also serves as a government-led campaign against dowry, child marriage and untouchability,” he asserted.
At the ceremony, 1,200 couples, including Hindus and Muslims, were married. Chief Minister Yogi praised the couples for setting an example by not accepting or giving dowry, emphasising the government’s commitment to ensuring that no daughter remains unmarried due to dowry.
The chief minister remarked that good governance leads to positive changes. He mentioned key initiatives launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, such as the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign, free LPG connections, and individual toilets in every village to protect women’s dignity
Additionally, free ration and housing were provided to those in need, and Ayushman cards were issued to ensure medical treatment coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh, he added.
Chief Minister Yogi emphasised that before these initiatives, the lack of toilets and the harmful smoke from wood and coal stoves compromised women’s dignity and health.
“With LPG cylinders now available in every home, this issue has been resolved, and the government also provides free cooking gas cylinders during Diwali and Holi,” he stated further.
The chief minister noted that the government’s welfare measures, such as the establishment of Atal Residential Schools offering free education to workers’ children and the provision of an annual pension of Rs 12,000 to one crore people, including the destitute and disabled, benefit all sections of society. Under the Kanya Sumangala Yojana, a package of Rs 25,000 is being provided to empower 20 lakh daughters, he added.
Chief Minister Yogi, who attended the ceremony along with several public representatives, called the mass marriage programme a grand festival. He remarked that while it is rare for him to attend individual weddings, this event is unique, with the administration personally inviting the couples.
At the ceremony, the chief minister blessed the newlyweds and presented gift kits to ten couples. He also visited the main pavilion to inspect the arrangements and extended his best wishes to the newlyweds and their families. Noticing children among the baraatis, Chief Minister Yogi smiled and handed out chocolates and gave his blessings to them.
The ceremony was attended by Mayor Dr Manglesh Shrivastava, Chillupar MLA Rajesh Tripathi, Pipraich MLA Mahendrapal Singh, MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh, Vipin Singh, Dr Vimlesh Paswan, Pradeep Shukla, Sarwan Nishad, Bharatiya Janata Party district president Yudhishthir Singh and metropolitan president Rajesh Gupta, among others.
