Big fat weddings draining farmers, says CM Mann

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday urged farmers to abandon the trend of extravagant weddings and opt for simpler, more affordable celebrations. Speaking to villagers in a rustic and informal interaction under the shade of trees in Samrala, Mann emphasised that the culture of “big fat weddings” was financially draining individual families and jeopardising the economic stability of the farming community.

- HT Correspondent

He said that he was pained to see farmers taking loans or mortgaging land to fund multi-day functions, lavish buffets, gold-laden gifts and excessive dowries. “These are not weddings. These are financial disasters disguised as celebrations,” he said.

‘Mann emphasised that such practices are adding to the already heavy debt burden on Punjab’s farmers, many of whom are still grappling with low crop prices, erratic rainfall, depleting groundwater and rising input costs.