Couples at kanyadaan yojana left stranded, eunuch gives out dole

BHOPAL: Fifty couples had gathered under a makeshift dais at Datia district to exchange marriage vows under the much-hyped 'Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana' of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. There was fanfare, expectations were high, only that not a single government official was present. The wannabe couples were left stranded, wedding rituals were held up.When the mass marriage was finally solemnised, it was a eunuch, in a unique role reversal, who distributed cash among couples even as the government failed to deliver.
Official apathy can be gauged from the fact that despite prior information no official turned up at Nauguwa and Porsa villages in Bhander tehsil of the district on June 2 and June 8. None of the couples received the government cash dole or gifts worth Rs 25,000.
"I don't have children, so I felt sad when brides were going home empty handed. I gave Rs 500 to each of the couple," the eunuch, Basiran alias Shanti, told TOI. "We don't have children, but we earn from people. It felt good when I was able to bring a smile on their faces," she said.
"None of the couples was given benefits of the scheme even though local representatives had completed formalities ahead of deadline," said husband of Nauguwa sarpanch, Madan Lal Kushwaha.
Bhander janpad panchayat president, Santoshi Yadav, said, "It's ridiculous that couples, most of them dalits, went home without getting their due. I wrote to officials and the chief minister a fortnight before the event."
Ganga Prasad, resident of Porsa village, is a disappointed man. "My daughters got married under the government scheme, but they got nothing. We have complained to the janpad panchayat president, but to no avail," he said.
When TOI tried to contact the Bhander janpad panchayat CEO, A P Prajapati, he said, "Norms of the marriage scheme were changed in June last year. District-level committees have been constituted, but in this case only the janpad panchayat was informed and not district authorities. Norms were not followed, so the scheme could not be processed," he said. Collector, Datia, M R Raghuraj said, "I am not in a position to tell anything."