Nagpur: About 1,000 young couples from
different castes and religions are set to tie the nuptial knot
in a community marriage ceremony at Nagbhid, about 75 kms
from here, on April 28, organisers said.
Among those who will exchange wedding vows during the
ceremony are 22 Muslim couples, two Christians, 198 dalits
besides tribals and non-tribals, former Maharashtra Minister
Vijay Wadettiwar, who is hosting the event, told reporters
here.
Wadettiwar said there are also 28 inter-caste couples,
who will receive Rs 50,000 cash from the state government,
while those from Scheduled Caste and Tribes will get Rs 10,000
from the government.
The mandal hosts the event annually but this year the
figures are higher, the Congress MLA said.
Each couple would be given a brief case, a water purifier
and a gold plated `mangalsutra` (sacred necklace). About three
lakh people are likely to have wedding meals during the event,
he said.
Wadettiwar, who represents Chimur Assembly constituency,
said Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan, his predecessor Ashok
Chavan, Union Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh,
Union Social Justice Minister Mukul Wasnik, AICC secretary
Mohan Prakash, MPCC Chief Manikrao Thakre are expected to be
present on the occasion.
Actors Jackie Shroff, Sonali, Kulkarni, Nisha Parulekar,
Asrani, Sunil Pal and Ashutosh Rana, would also be present, he
added.
PTI
