Uttarakhand: Rs 10,001 Cash Reward For Brides Who Oppose Serving Alcohol At Weddings

The Uttarakhand Police have announced a cash reward of ₹10,001 for brides who would oppose alcohol parties at their weddings in the Tehri district.

This initiative has been undertaken under the 'Bhuli' (sister in Garhwali) Kanyadan scheme. This move is aimed at reducing incidents of drunken fights and related crimes in villages.

The money rewarded to brides would be put together by the staff of the police station. The station house officer of the Devprayag police station Mahipal Rawat has spearheaded this initiative after consulting the locals.

"The initiative has been taken in consultation with people of the area. They believe that this move will make the wedding function a dry affair," said Mahipal Rawat as reported by The New Indian Express.

He said alcohol abuse is one of the major reasons for quarrels in the area and often results in law and order situation. Rawat also said that the cases of domestic violence, misbehaviour with women and enmity were rising in the area, reported The Times Of India.

The police had called gram pradhans of all the 101 villages that fall under the jurisdiction of the police station for a meeting. After several rounds of discussion, they concluded that liquor consumption led to a rise in crimes in the villages.

Rawat shared that it was also noticed that people are increasingly serving alcohol at weddings in villages. "After mulling various steps that can be taken to stop youths from consuming liquor, we felt that it would be great if women raise their voice against this malpractice," he said.

Mukesh Singh Bedwal, the Bhadni village head who was also present in the meeting, said that pradhans will certify if the claim of the bride is true or not. Previously, state activists had organised various events, including foot marches, to demand the government to start a new department to promote anti-liquor activism.

Women in the village areas in hilly regions have also participated in conducting anti-liquor drives, including holding protests against new liquor stores.

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