Shun Weddings Abroad: PM Modi To Rich Families

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged rich families to conduct weddings in India instead of abroad.

On his monthly episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', the Prime Minister said that the wedding season has started in India and urged people to shop for Indian products.

"The wedding season as well has commenced now. Some trade organizations estimate that there could be a business of around Rs 5 lakh crore during this wedding season. While shopping for weddings, all of you should give importance to products made in India only.

And yes, since the topic of marriage has come up, one thing has been troubling me off and on for a long time... and if I don't open up my heart's pain to my family members, who else do I do it with? Just ponder... these days a new milieu is being created by some families to go abroad and conduct weddings. Is this at all necessary?"

PM Modi stated that the money will remain in India if Indians conduct the marriages in the country itself.

"If we celebrate the festivities of marriages on Indian soil, amid the people of India, the country's money will remain in the country. The people of the country will get an opportunity to render some service or the other at your wedding... even poor people will tell their children about that occasion," he added.

He added, "Can you extrapolate on this mission of 'Vocal for Local'? Why don't we hold such wedding ceremonies in our own country? It is possible that the kind of system you want may not be there today, but if we organize such events, systems will also develop. This is a topic related to very big families. I hope this pain of mine will definitely reach those big families."

In recent years, many rich families have conducted marriages in foreign countries. Notably, cricketer Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's wedding and Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's marriage were held in Italy.