DM holds meet to review preps for govt-aided mass marriage ceremony

Kanpur: District magistrate on Friday held a review meeting at the Collectorate to oversee the preparations for a mass marriage ceremony to be organized in June 2026, under the Chief Minister’s Mass Marriage Scheme in Kanpur Nagar.The state govt has allocated the target of 1534 marriages under mass marriages of poor and weaker families in financial year 2026-27.In this regard, 542 applications have been received so far, of which 509 have come from rural areas and 33 from urban areas.In the meeting, preparations for the scheme, including applications, verification, and logistical arrangements, were reviewed in detail.The DM also directed the concerned officials to complete the verification of the applications in a time-bound manner.Under the govt scheme, a total expenditure of Rs 1,00,000 has been allocated per couple.Of this amount, Rs 60,000 will be transferred directly into the bride’s bank account via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).Additionally, wedding gifts worth Rs 25,000 will be provided, while Rs 5,000 per couple will be spent on arrangements such as food, marquees, furniture, drinking water, and lighting.The benefits of this scheme will be available only to those families whose annual income does not exceed three lakh rupees. The bride’s guardians must be domiciled in UP, and the groom must be a resident of India.On the date of the marriage, the minimum age for the bride is stipulated as 18 years, and for the groom, 21 years.