Mass Marriage Dreams Shattered for 8 Sonbhadra Girls Due to Quota Limit
In a heartbreaking turn of events, the dreams of eight young women from Sonbhadra district to begin their married lives through a mass marriage ceremony on March 23 were shattered when their names were excluded from the beneficiary list. The disappointment stemmed from the quota of 75 girls from the Robertsganj block area being completely saturated, leaving these families in distress after他们已经完成了传统的婚前仪式。
Protests Erupt at District Headquarters
After discovering that their daughters' names were not included in the selected beneficiaries list, the families—who had already completed rituals like haldi and mehendi at home—staged a massive protest at the district headquarters on Tuesday. They had arrived at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) campus in Usraura on Monday, expecting to participate in the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana (MSVY), only to face this unexpected setback.
District officials faced significant challenges in convincing the family members to call off their protest. They managed to do so by assuring them that their marriages could be solemnized in the next rounds of the MSVY scheme. Gyanendra Singh Bhadoria, the Sonbhadra district social welfare officer, explained on Wednesday that the families were informed their applications were not rejected but were part of a detailed selection process.
Detailed Selection Process Explained
Bhadoria elaborated on the rigorous procedure for beneficiary selection, which involves data being forwarded to the directorate only after eligibility verification is completed by the block development officer. This process includes video logging, biometric and facial verification, after which a code is generated and allotted to the applicant. When senior officials investigated why the procedure wasn't completed for these eight girls, it was revealed that the number of applicants from their tehsil exceeded 200, with 70 others—excluding these eight—already issued codes to receive scheme benefits.
Currently, 2,372 applications are under process, according to Bhadoria. He emphasized that all eligible applicants who couldn't be covered in previous mass marriage rounds will be included in the next one. With the next budget release, another mass marriage ceremony is likely scheduled for April 20.
Families Left in Limbo After Preparations
The aggrieved bride and groom parties expressed their frustration, claiming that after everything was found satisfactory in the eligibility check and verification, they were instructed to arrive on time for the March 23 ceremony. Based on this assurance, they held ceremonies like haldi and mehndi, with relatives gathering and some even distributing invitations.
Fathers of the girls, including Rameshwar Prasad and Vinod from the Markundi area, stated that their preparations were based on instructions from block officials who conducted verifications and assured them their daughters' marriages would take place on March 23 at the DIET campus. This miscommunication has left the families in emotional and financial turmoil, highlighting the need for clearer communication in government welfare schemes.
