The pending payment to the sugarcane farmers of Uttarakhand would soon be cleared, assured the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat while participating in a mass marriage ceremony of different religions at Bajpur in Udham Singh Nagar on Saturday. He said that the state had owed a sum of Rs 170 crore to these farmers out of which Rs 137 crore has been paid and the rest  would soon be cleared.

CM reiterated on the occasion his Government’s commitment to ensure all-round development of the farmers of the State. He exhorted the farmers to adopt modern technologies for better produce and income.

He offered his best wishes to fifty couples who tied the nuptial knot on the occasion. He said that marriage is a ritual which involves utmost affection, love and faith. Giving matra for successful married life, Rawat advised the newly-weds to  remain committed to each other through thick and thin.

CM appreciated the efforts of Harendra Singh Dhillion ‘Laddi’ and his family members for hosting the programme. The family has been holding mass marriage ceremony for the past 10 years in which 700 couples have so far entered into sacred bond of marriage.

The  state social welfare minister Yashpal Arya, who was also present in the ceremony, said that the Terai area is like a bouquet containing  multi-hued flowers,  representing the people of different faiths living together beautifully. Among other present were MLAs Raj Kumar Thukral, Rajesh Shukla, Pushkar Singh Dhammi, Harbhajan Singh Cheema and Sanjeev Arya aside  from a  large number of people.