Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said every person from the last rung of the society need to be uplifted to make India the biggest power in the world.

Addressing the Mukhyamnatri Saamoohik Vivaah Samaaroh -- the mass marriage ceremony of 1,200 couples held at the premises of Hindustan Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited on Tuesday -- Adityanath said, "To make India the biggest power in the world, we have to think about every person sitting at the last rung of the society. We have to bring a change in their lives. To bring about this change, the government has started programmes like Matru Vandana Yojana, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao Yojana, Kanya Sumangala Yojana and Ayushman Yojana. The mass marriage scheme is also a symbol of this progressive thinking."

The government has increased the expenditure per couple under the mass marriage scheme from Rs 51,000 to Rs 1 lakh from this year, a statement issued here said.

Speaking at the programme, Adityanath said the real government is the one that can go to people's house and solve their problems.

He said the mass marriage programme is a step after the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao scheme. It is also an attack on social stereotypes like child marriage, polygamy and dowry system.

"If we want to save the daughter, we have to educate her, we have to empower her. We will have to make all the arrangements to take the daughter forward," Adityanath said, adding that in 2017, the government started the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana for the education of the daughter from birth to graduation to end the suffering of the poor.

Under this, about 24 lakh girls from poor and deprived families of the state are being given an amount of Rs 25,000 for education from birth to graduation.

The chief minister said that after the birth of a daughter, a fixed amount is deposited in her account as soon as she registers. A fixed amount is also given when the daughter turns one year old and is administered all the vaccines. After this, a fixed amount is sent to the account after the daughter enters Class 1, Class 6 and Class 9 and further on taking admission in ITI, diploma or other courses. Today this amount is becoming a support for the security of the daughter.

Adityanath said that today, poor parents do not worry about their daughters' marriage due to the Chief Minister's mass marriage scheme.

Apart from the chief minister, MLAs and other public representatives also participated in the programme.

Hitting out at the previous government, Adityanath said that before 2017, only Rs 20,000 were given by the Social Welfare Department for girls belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This amount, which was greatly insufficient, was released with discrimination, not everyone got it. Those who got it, did not get it on time.

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He said when the Mukhyamnatri Saamoohik Vivaah Yojana was started in 2017, the amount was increased to Rs 35,000, later to Rs 51,000 and from April 1 this year, to Rs 1 lakh. In this, Rs 60,000 will be deposited in the daughter's account. The remaining amount will be spent on household items, girl's jewelry and food and other arrangements. The government is doing this work to bring change in the lives to give up social evils like dowry system and child marriage.