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Sarma said there would not be any restrictions on the rituals followed by Muslims during weddings, but only the registration of Qazis would be restricted. (Representative/File photo)
Sarma claimed that the minor's marriage was registered earlier by the Qazi family but the proposed bill would ban any such move
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Assam government will introduce a bill in the upcoming autumn assembly session to make it mandatory for the government to register marriages and divorces of Muslim people .
Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Sarma said the government will introduce the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024, in the upcoming session starting on Thursday.
“Earlier, Muslim marriages were registered by Qazis. However, this new bill will ensure that all marriages in the community are registered with the government,” he added.
Sarma also claimed that the minor's marriage was registered earlier by the Qazi family but the proposed bill would ban any such act.
“Now, registration of marriages of minors will not happen at all. Basically we want to end the menace of child marriage. Marriages will be registered at the deputy registrar's office,” he added, citing the cabinet decision.
Sarma said there would not be any restrictions on the rituals followed by Muslims during weddings, but only the registration of Qazis would be restricted.
The cabinet last month approved a bill to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act and Rules, 1935, which allowed marriage of minors under certain conditions.
The 2024 repeal bill will be introduced during the fall session.
Regarding other cabinet decisions, the chief minister said lands in tribal belts are protected but lands outside demarcated areas are not.
“So, now we have decided to create micro tribal belts and establish SC and ST villages outside the tribal belts. A ministerial committee has been formed to identify these areas,” he added.
Sarma also said that the government has decided to add new sections to the existing Assam Land Revenue and Regulation Act, 1886, to protect iconic structures and their surrounding areas that are at least 250 years old.
“We propose to protect an area of five kilometers around buildings of religious, cultural and historical significance. Under the new regulations, only people who have lived in the area for three generations can buy or sell land.
Sarma said the government is initially targeting to protect the Sattra (Vaishnavite monastery) areas of Batadrava, Barpeta and Majuli, and may later expand the scope of protection .
As far as Majuli is concerned, the entire region will be protected by this new provision, he added.
Regarding the poverty alleviation scheme 'Orunodoi', where Rs 1,250 is deposited into women's accounts every month, Sarma said 10,000 new beneficiaries will be added to the existing 2.7 million beneficiaries in each of the 126 parliamentary constituencies.
“We distributed survey forms during the Lok Sabha polls and found that 10-12 lakh people were still not covered by the scheme. Therefore, we have now decided to expand the scheme. A total of 12.6 lakh new beneficiaries will be added, making the state's The total number of beneficiary households exceeds 4.25 million.
While presenting the 2024-25 national budget, Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said that 250,000 more beneficiaries will be added to the existing 2.7 million beneficiaries.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
