Lucknow, Dec 6 (IANS): Nearly 50,000 weddings are scheduled to be held between December and January in Uttar Pradesh under the chief minister’s Community Wedding Programme.

A target of 1,09,883 weddings has been set for 2023-24, against which 11,489 weddings have already taken place this year.

"We have received 68,825 applications so far and another 1,000 applications are being received online each day. Under this scheme, the government organises weddings for needy, underprivileged families, which include widows, divorced and abandoned women. Those from SC and backward communities are also benefitted under this scheme. At each such function, a government representative like MLAs, ministers and MPs are present," said a government spokesperson.

Under a community wedding programme, the government deposits Rs 35,000 in the account of the girl getting married.

Goods worth Rs 10,000, which include clothes, jewellery, utensils, etc, are given separately to each couple. For widows, abandoned and divorced women, goods worth Rs 5,000 and another Rs 6,000 are given to each couple.

Recently, social welfare minister Asim Arun announced that in order to maintain transparency in the programme, all applications under the scheme are to be made online and offline applications have been stopped.

While the problem of middlemen has been addressed through this system, details of the wedding, including date and time, are communicated through SMS.

"Since August, the department has received 68,825 online applications. It is also compulsory for all girls participating in the scheme to have bank accounts which are now being linked with their Aadhaar," said the spokesman.