Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan marked the launch of the scheme called Deendayal Antodyaya Mission in Sijhaura village in the tribal-dominated Mandla district on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya - a day on which thousands of weddings are solemnised in the country.

The marriages of 251 couples were conducted at a simple function here.

'Helping the poor is the biggest service to the God', Chouhan said, adding that his government has taken up the cause as a serious scheme.

'Deendayal Antodyaya Mission, constituted in the state at Chouhan's initiative, will facilitate marriages of the `have nots' and play an important role in rehabilitating neglected children, orphans, widows and deserted women as well', said a state official.

'Set up with a view to helping poor sections of society by the state's social justice department, the mission will not only make available financial assistance for these marriages but also ensure the participation of all the government and non-government institutions to promote them and help dispel social evils,' he added.

The scheme envisages assistance of Rs. 5,000 for household arrangements to each aspirant who is unable to marry for want of money. This financial assistance would be given from the destitute fund collected through the mission at the district level.

In addition, an amount of Rs. 1,000 will be provided to each of the applicants for conducting the wedding ceremony.

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