Odisha CM asks officials to include widowed women under 'Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana'

Mohan Charan Majhi said the scheme aims to financially support the poor, helpless and economically weak families for the marriage of their daughters.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has asked officials to include widowed women under the 'Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana' (MMKVY).

Majhi issued such a direction while presiding over a meeting here on Wednesday, an official said.

He said the scheme aims to financially support the poor, helpless and economically weak families for the marriage of their daughters. He said marriages under the scheme need to be held on a collective basis and provide gifts to the brides.

The state government has made a provision of Rs 12 crore in the 2025-26 state budget.

While presenting the budget, Majhi, who also holds the Finance portfolio, had said: "A girl child is a blessing, not a burden, and we must honour and empower them to fulfil their dreams. Weddings following Odia tradition and customs are becoming expensive. Sometimes, poor families find it very difficult financially to get their daughters married with dignity.

"For the purpose, I am proposing a new scheme, 'Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana'. Under the scheme, mass marriages will be performed, and the government will bear all the expenses as well as provide a gift for the bride. I propose an allocation of Rs 12 crore for this purpose." Previously in Odisha, the state government was providing financial assistance for inter-caste marriages involving girls by the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, as well as by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development Department.

The chief minister has asked the departments to complete all necessary procedures and launch the scheme without much delay.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, and senior officials from the Women and Child Development Department, Finance Department, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development Department, and the School and Mass Education Department.

In another meeting on Wednesday evening, Majhi also reviewed the progress of the PM Janman Yojana and directed all department secretaries present to visit remote areas in 14 districts where the scheme is being implemented and assess the ground situation.

He asked the collectors and departmental officers at the district level to visit and identify villages and habitation, evaluate the conditions, and submit reports. The PM Janman Yojana covers 14 of the 30 districts of Odisha and covers 55 blocks, 1,751 villages/habitations, 289 gram panchayats, and 2 municipal areas, benefiting a total of 68,605 families and 3,14,514 people.

Targets are made to construct houses, provide drinking water, set up mobile towers, hostels for students, multi-purpose centres and roads in remote areas of the identified districts.

The objective of the PM Janman Yojana is to enhance the socio-economic conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by providing comprehensive development interventions.