Ranchi; May 19: It was time for mass weddings!

As many as 10 couples tied the knot at a mass marriage ceremony organised under the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana (MKY) today .

Chief minister Madhu Koda, who took part in the function blessed the newly wed couples and even distributed cheques of Rs 10,000 to each couple under the scheme.

“The government would provide financial support for the wedding of as many as 20,000 girls this year,” said Koda. He also gave his best wishes to the couples.

The function was organised by Dayeemi Poor Girls’ Marriage Society, an NGO. Six couples were married at a separate function organised last year.

The MKY was a flagship programme of the previous NDA regime to help girls from economically backward classes. This year, the government has set Rs 20 crore under MKY. Ironically, though the government has allotted a huge fund for the marriages, on several occasions the block level officers have been held responsible for not providing the support.

“We learnt about the society through Firoz Ansari, a member of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. We are thankful to the society for arranging the marriage,” said Zahida Parween, one of the brides.

Haider Ali, the president of the society, said they aimed to eradicate the dowry system. Hari Narayan Singh, a noted journalist, was all praises at the attempt.

“For the development of any society, not only economic growth but intellectual enrichment is also important. Programmes like these should be organised by the government at regular intervals,” he said.