Assam government provides Rs 40,000 to newly married couples for purchasing gold

Guwahati: Assam government on Thursday initiated 'Arundhati Gold Scheme' under which the State government provides financial assistance to the tune of Rs 40,000 to newly married couples who have applied for the scheme.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that marriage is an institution full of responsibilities and registration of marriage raises dignity of this institution besides safeguarding rights of the brides.

The beneficiaries are required to register their marriages under Special Marriage Act

, 1954 before a competent authority apart from fulfilling educational and age related criterion.

Altogether 1121 couples registered for the scheme out of which 587 were found eligible.

According to the state government the objective of the scheme is to facilitate the parents of the girl child who are economically not very sound, but like all other parents desire to give some gold which is considered auspicious to their daughters as a gift at the time of marriage.

Sonowal said that the State government has been implementing various innovative schemes with an aim to strengthen every section of the society. He said that social development would lead to individual growth and therefore the government is working to make the society free from superstition and all other social evils.

He also urged the newlywed couples to register their marriages to uphold the dignity of the institution of marriage.

Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his speech said that during the last four years, the State government launched various schemes with a philosophy to address the problems faced by the society. He said that the government is working for universalization of benefits of government schemes to establish a society based on equality and justice.

Sarma opined that the new scheme would give an impetus to marriage registration. He also urged all the beneficiaries to act as ambassadors of the scheme to take the message of this initiative to every nook and corner of the State.