Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Tuesday, announced that the Anand Marriage Act will be implemented in letter and spirit in the state.
Mann said the Act was notified in 2016 but had been hanging fire since then. He said that though several other states have already implemented this Act but Punjab had lagged behind.
Mann said that this Act will now be implemented with right earnest. Anand Marriage Act, 1909 was enacted to give legal sanction to Anand Karaj—marriage ceremony of Sikhs and to remove any doubts regarding their validity. The Act was amended in 2012 to address the long-standing need for registration of Anand Marriages by allowing Sikh couples an option to register their marriages under the Anand Marriage Act. On the sacred occasion of Parkash Purb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev, the CM paid obeisance at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib.
Greeting the people on the auspicious occasion of Prakash Purb, Mann said Guru Nanak Dev was a great spiritual ambassador who guided humanity to attain salvation by spreading the cult of devotion to God. He said that Guru eternal teachings of ‘Kirat Karo, Naam Japo and Vand Chako’ are still relevant in the present materialistic society.
The CM said Guru Nanak Dev envisioned a casteless society free from rituals, thereby redeeming the suffering humanity from the pangs of agony. He said that Guru Nanak Dev motivated mankind with new ideas, aims, and aspirations and called upon it to dispense with the maladies of hypocrisy, falsehood, pretensions and caste-prejudices.
Mann appealed to the people to imbibe the spirit of service and humility as preached by the Great Guru and strive hard for carving out a peaceful, prosperous and healthy society by following the precious legacy of Guru Nanak Dev. The CM exhorted people to celebrate this sacred occasion with utmost devotion and dedication rising above the parochial considerations of caste, colour, creed and religion.