“They can be penalized and they can be imprisoned even if anybody violates the government order.”
The urge to mark weddings as lavish affairs is partly cultural, said Sonalde Desai, a sociologist at the University of Maryland
and the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi who studies changes in Indian families, including marriage practices.
“Poor people were forced to spend the money on the marriage ceremonies of their daughters and sons.”
Though it would appear difficult to enforce the order, which will take effect on
April 1, Mr. Ali said the government would issue penalties for noncompliance.
“During the last 20 months, we have been receiving complaints from the public
that rich people are spending huge amounts during the marriages,” said Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, the state minister for the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
But in an effort to curb such extravagant spending, lawmakers in one Indian state have imposed
new regulations to limit wedding celebrations to an intimate 400 or 500 guests.
Under the new regulations, weddings will be capped at 400 to 500 guests
and organizers can serve just 14 dishes — seven vegetarian and seven nonvegetarian options.
On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir State issued an order that one official said was aimed at closing the gap between the rich and the poor.
