KENDRAPADA: Putting to rest plans of a grand wedding, a couple in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district has tied the knot in a simple ceremony and donated a part of the funds set aside for the occasion to aid the state in its fight against COVID-19.
The groom, Jyoti Ranjan Swain, said the two families had made elaborate plans for the wedding, but the couple decided to ditch the celebrations, and donate Rs 10,000 to the chief minister's relief fund.
"We had earlier arranged a grand function.
But the lockdown threw a spanner in the works.
So we decided to donate a part of the money saved for the wedding to help the state combat the pandemic," said the groom, a resident of Erasama block in the district.
Apart from the parents, the inspector of Erasama police station and block development officer (BDO) attended the wedding.
The ceremony was held maintaining social distancing norms, Swain said.
Erasama BDO Kartik Chandra Behera said the couple handed over the cheque to him, following the ceremony.
"There was no social gathering. The couple distributed sweets after the ceremony. It was a simple affair," Behera added.