Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday defended the Assam government’s Budget proposal for gifting gold to brides in the State from the next fiscal. He clarified that it was aimed at marital reforms and not to encourage dowry.
According to the proposal, an adult bride belonging to any community that customarily provides gold at the time of marriage would be entitled to a tola, or 11.34 gm, of gold at current prices of approximately Rs 38,000.
‘Not promoting dowry’
“We are not promoting dowry as our critics have said. We have set certain conditions for a bride to be entitled to this golden gift. Prime among these conditions is that the claimant has to undergo a registered marriage,” Mr. Sarma said at an official event here.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government, the minister said, had been combating child marriages and mere campaigns have not borne fruit. “The golden gift scheme seeks to check underage marriage through compulsory registration besides checking divorce and abandoning of wives,” he said.
“While triple talaq is an issue among Muslims, there are cases of Hindu marriages conducted in temples that end up in disasters. In either case, the woman is the loser,” Mr Sarma said.
Lifetime owner
“The scheme has been drawn up in such a way that the woman would be its owner throughout her life and no one can take it from her. Besides, she will receive the gold with a legal cover,” he said.
The government had allocated Rs. 300 crore for the gold scheme named Arundhati, wife of sage Vasisht whose ashram in Guwahati was a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction.