In a bid to address different social challenges that often pose hurdles for the tribal populace who are in live-in relation to lead a dignified life without curtailing the rights and privileges that are entitled to the tribal community, Jharkhand State livelihood Promotion society (JSlPS) in collaboration with NGO, NIMITTA will organise a mass marriage ceremony for 51 poor couples at JAP-1 ground on Saturday. Couples falling in the age group 20 to 40 years will get married in mass marriage ceremony following all rituals for attaining social recognition.
Addressing the press meet here on Friday, Secretary, NIMITTA, Nikita Sinha said, “The mass marriage is an attempt to bring all such tribal populace into mainstream who by far are left to lead a miserable life without any fault. During our sanitation project at Maranghada-- Khunti district, our team found several such couples with no age bar who are in live-in relation and are craving for social recognition. Encounter with those couples also made us to realize that they are deprived of even basic amenities and lacks immense government support.”
Over 51 marginalised couples from six districts of the State will gather here for a mass marriage ceremony. According to the records of JSlPS and NIMITTA, maximum couples from Munda community will be participating in this mass marriage ceremony this year. In 2017, around 21 couples in a live-in-relation tied the knots in a similar kind of ceremony.
Couples having kids will also get married along with the others. Officials of JSlPS stated that attempts are also being made to link all these couples with some constructive livelihood tasks with the State government’s support.
Meanwhile, describing about the upcoming mass marriage ceremony arrangement at JAP-1 ground, Chief Operating Officer (COO), JSlPS, Bishnu C Parida said, “CM Raghubar Das will grace the occasion around 3 pm. The programme will begin from 10 am onwards and is expected to continue till late in the evening. Sakhi Mandalis associated with JSlPS will be handling the tasks like catering and other basic arrangements.
Over 1.5 thousand people are expected to participate in the event. Also, all the married couples will be given a box with kitchen sets and other items.”
JSlPS and NIMITTA personnel have assured that in the coming days, attempts will be made to provide registered marriage certificates to these newlyweds along with linking them with Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojna for leading a dignified life.
As most of these couples belong to the lower strata of the society and cannot afford to make all such massive arrangements, all their needs have been taken care by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation limited (HPCl), Bank of India (BOI) and Kejriwal Institute of Management studies for solemnizing marriage of live-in couples coming from the rural pockets of Jharkhand.