BENGALURU: Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the state government is planning to woo people from Schedule Castes by organising ‘Shubha Lagna’, a mass marriage programme specific to them.
Saptapadi, another mass marriage initiative started during the former chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s tenure in 2020, was interrupted because of two years of Covid pandemic. It was restarted last year, and under that scheme, the bridegroom gets a shirt and a dhoti and Rs 5,000 cash, while the bride gets a silk saree, Rs 1,000 cash and 8 gm of gold for the mangalsutra. Saptapadi was organised under the Endowments Ministry, then headed by Kota Shrinivas Poojari.
Shubha Lagna is a similar initiative, but with additional benefits to the bride and groom, and will be organised by the Social Welfare Department. Sources told The New Indian Express that as per their estimate, the state has 28 to 30 lakh families belonging to the SC community, and majority of them fall under the economically weaker section. Under Shubha Lagna, like in Saptapadi, the bride and groom will get gold and cloth. “But we also have plans to give them money, which will be a fixed deposit that will help them over the long term. These are initial plans,’’ the sources added.
While Saptapadi is applicable for all eligible brides and grooms under the Hindu Act, Shubha Lagna is limited only to people from the SC communities. Explaining the challenges, the sources said there are hundreds of sub-castes under the SC umbrella and each has a different wedding tradition. “We cannot organise individual weddings specific to their sub-castes. The programme will have a simple and common ritual along with the registration of marriages. Food will also be served during the event,” he added.
Initially, the department may choose 100 people from each district, which will work out to 3,000 people across the state. The number may vary. “We estimate the cost to be around Rs 35 crore per annum and it has to be cleared by the Finance Department,” the sources said.
Poojari, who is now social welfare minister, said there is such a proposal before them and it will be discussed with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. “Our government is concerned with the welfare of backward classes and the poor,’’ he added.