CM's Mass Marriage Scheme: FIR Against Social Welfare Dept Officer, 8 Beneficiaries on Fraud Charges

An FIR has been registered against the assistant development officer of the Social Welfare department and eight beneficiaries on charges of fraud in the Chief Minister’s Mass Marriage Scheme, police said on Wednesday.

It is alleged that many people, who were already married, were married again in the mass marriage programme held at Maniyar Inter College on January 25, they said.

The marriage of young men and women from poor families is being done under the Chief Minister’s Mass Marriage Scheme.

Maniyar SHO Mantosh Singh on Wednesday said that an FIR was registered last night against Assistant Development Officer Sunil Kumar Yadav and eight beneficiaries, including Archana, Ranjana Yadav, Suman Chauhan, Priyanka, Sonam, Pooja, Sanju and Ramita, on District Social Welfare Officer Deepak Srivastava’s complaint.

The FIR was registered on charges of fraud, he added. Srivastava has said in his complaint that after the mass marriage was conducted under this scheme, it came to the fore that brides and grooms, who were already married were being married again.

A probe committee under the chief development officer was constituted in the matter on January 29.

It was found in the probe it that Archana of Manikapur village was married in June 2023.

Apart from this, Ranjana Yadav and Suman Chauhan got married in March 2023, Priyanka got married in November 2023, Pooja got married a year ago, Sanju got married three years ago and Ramita got married in July 2023.

Apart from this, Sonam’s marriage is not decided yet. All of them are not eligible under the Chief Minister’s Mass Marriage Scheme, the committee said in its report.

Ineligible applicants had applied illegally to get benefits under the scheme by hiding the actual facts, the report said.

The Social Welfare department’s assistant development officer was negligent in examining the applications which led to this fraud.

A case has been registered into the matter and further investigation is on, the SHO said.

District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said that the funds have not yet been distributed to the beneficiaries of the mass marriage programme held in Maniyar development block.

So far, a case has been registered against the assistant development officer and eight beneficiaries found guilty in the investigation, Kumar said. Action will be taken against anyone else found guilty, he added.

Under this scheme, a payment of Rs 51,000 is made of which Rs 35,000 goes to the girl, Rs 10,000 for purchasing matrimonial materials and Rs 6,000 for the event, according to the government website.