‘Publish age of bride, groom on wedding cards’

Lucknow: In a unique initiative, the district magistrate of Shravasti district in Uttar Pradesh is making it mandatory for all printing presses in the area to publish the date of birth of the groom and the bride on all wedding cards.

District magistrate Deepak Meena has also asked the printers to obtain the age certificate of the groom and the bride and keep it with them while printing the wedding cards.

Mr Meena said that he will be holding a meeting with printers in the district to discuss the issue and address their queries, if any.

Shravasti is one of the most backward districts in the state and according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), nearly 70 per cent marriages fall in the category of child marriages.  

“This is an attempt to check child marriages. We will ask the printers to inform the administration if the bride or the groom is below the eligible age for marriage and we will make an effort to prevent the same”, said a senior official.

The guidelines for printers are being drafted and will be implemented within the next two months.