Mysuru to witness series of mass marriages under Saptapadi scheme

The district administration is gearing up to a series of mass marriages under Karnataka Saptapadi Vivah Yojana, a mass marriage scheme, introduced by the state government.

The first mass marriage programme is scheduled to be held at Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill in Mysuru on March 15. The state government has directed to conduct mass marriages between March and July.

The next mass marriage programme will be held on April 22 in Nanjangud, on May 13 at Mudukutore, June 17 at Chamundi Hill and on July 7 in Nanjangud. In order to pouplarise the scheme, it has been decided to display boards containing information about the scheme at the prominent temples of the district.

According to Additional Deputy Commissioner B S Manjunathswamy, Saptapadi will get started in March. More publicity will be given to the scheme as it benefits poor and economically backward people.

The temples are directed to display boards. In addition, the boards will also be displayed at office of the Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Tahsildars, among the other places.

It has to be noted that in February 2020, the district administration launched ‘Saptapadi Ratha’, a vehicle, in an effort to popularise `Saptapadi' scheme. The vehicle had moved throughout the district campaigning for mass marriage and highlighting the scheme.

The brides and grooms willing to get married under the mass marriage scheme should register their names at respective taluk offices. The beneficiaries must submit personal details along with the documents during registration, he said.

An officer said, "The marriage will take place only if the parents of both the bride and the groom are present during the ceremony. The age of the bride must be 18 years or above and the groom must be 21 years or above. The scheme is applicable only for marriages in Hindu religion."

Couples entering wedlock will be given benefits worth Rs 55,000, including an 8-gram gold thali (mangalsutra), Rs 10,000 for the bride and Rs 5,000 for the bridegroom.