Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced that the Anand Marriage Act, 2016, will be implemented in true letter and spirit for Sikhs to register their marriages in the state.
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Mann, accompanied by wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur, made the announcement after paying obeisance at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, on the occasion of the Parkash Purb of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
“Though the Act was notified in 2016, there is hardly any awareness about it in Punjab. Several other states have implemented this Act but we have lagged behind. Now, it will implemented here as well,” Mann said.
Twenty-two states, including Haryana and Delhi, have implemented the Act but it has not been implemented in right earnest despite the notification issued six years ago, he said.
The chief minister said that the government will take steps to generate awareness about the Act.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister said that the government will take steps to generate awareness about the Act.
{{/usCountry}}Mann prayed for peace, progress and prosperity of the border state and greeted people on the auspicious occasion. “Guru Nanak Dev ji was a great spiritual ambassador who guided humanity to attain salvation through devotion to God. His teachings of ‘Kirat karo, naam japo and vand chako (Work hard and honestly, always remember God and share with the needy)’ are relevant in today’s materialistic society,” he said.
In the backdrop of air pollution due to farm fires, the chief minister reminded people of the teaching of ‘Pawan Guru, paani pitaah, mata dharat mahat’ from the Gurbani, where the Guru equated air (pawan) with teacher, water (paani) with father and land (dharat) with mother. He called for steps to protect the environment.