Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma | Photo credit: PTI
Key points
- The idea of the government is that a couple should not hide their identity, work and mutual income: Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
- Proposed legislation will not be in line with recently passed / proposed laws in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh: HB Sarma
Guwahati: Assam’s Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that men must declare their religion, work and income to their partners before getting married, and confirmed that the state government has already started drafting legislation on the matter. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister also added that the bill will be mandatory for all marriages and will empower women.
While speaking to the media, Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “One should not get married if there is no transparency between husband and wife. Disclosure is important like my religion, what I do for a living, what my income is. I don’t say that only your religion should be disclosed, you should also disclose your income and work. “
The Assam minister stressed that the state government’s proposal is not something about “love jihad”, but it would be mandatory for all religions. The idea of the government is that a couple should not hide their identity, work and mutual income and that there should be transparency in the marriage, he added.
“We have started to draft the legislation in this regard,” announced the BJP minister.
He went on to say: “It will be mandatory for all marriages. There will be a pro forma statement given to the wife who will give it to her husband. It will not be just about religion, but about everything a wife needs to know.”
Before saying that the proposed legislation will try to empower women, Sarma assured that it will not be in line with recently passed / proposed laws in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Assam to launch ‘Orunodoi’ scheme to empower women
In an attempt to financially empower women and people with special abilities, the Assam government would provide 830 rupees a month each to 18.20 lakhs from poor families under the ambitious ‘Orunodoi’ plan, Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed.
The minister said that under the Orunodoi scheme, which will be launched on Tuesday in 29 of the state’s 33 districts, 830 rupees per month will be transferred directly to the account of the designated head of household to meet her medical and nutritional needs. .
The beneficiary family could spend the amount to buy medicines, legumes, sugar, vegetables and fruits.
The minister also said that under the Orunodoi scheme priority would be given to households with widows, divorced, single or separated women, and disabled people.
To take advantage of the benefits of the plan, the beneficiary must be a permanent resident of Assam and their compound family income must be less than Rs 2 lakhs per year, Sarma added.
