A recent bill placed in the Lok Sabha seeks to put a limit on the number of guests to be invited and different cuisines and dishes to be served in wedding to check ‘ show of wealth’. They also ask for a contribution towards marriages of poor girls from those who will spend more than Rs. 5 lakhs in wedding.

According to the bill introduced by the Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan, if any family spends more than Rs. 5 lakhs on a wedding, it has to contribute 10 per cent of the amount on marriage of the girls from poor families.

This Marriages (Compulsory Registration and Prevention of Wasteful Expenditure) Bill, 2016, may be taken up as private member’s bill in the upcoming Lok Sabha session.

Rajneet told that the main objective of introducing this bill is to prohibit extravagant and wasteful expenditure on marriages and to enforce simpler solemnization.

She further added, “Great importance should be assigned to the solemnization of marriage between two individuals. But unfortunately, these days a tendency of celebrating marriages with pomp and show and spending lavishly growing in the country.”

“These days, marriages are more about showing off your wealth and as a result, poor families are under tremendous social pressure to spend more. This is needed to be checked as it is not good for society at large.”

She also mentioned that “if any family intends to spend more than Rs 5 lakh towards expenditure on marriage, such family shall declare the amount proposed to be spent in advance to the appropriate government and contribute 10 per cent of such amount in a welfare fund which shall be established by the appropriate government to assist the poor and Below Poverty Line families for the marriage of their daughters.”

The bill says that once this proposed legislation comes into force, all marriages shall be registered within 60 days of the solemnization. It also requested government to fix an upper cap for guests and relatives and number of dishes to be served and the same criteria will be implemented on the reception held thereafter as it may help in minimizing the wastage of food items in the wedding.

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