Ropni Devi and her daughter Priyanka Pahan are all set to get married to their respective partners on Sunday at town hall in Khunti. They are among 21 couples entering into a wedlock on the initiative of Khunti district administration and an NGO named Nimitt. The couples, all from the home constituency of rural development minister Neelkantha Singh Munda, have been living together, some for more than 30 years, but have not been married yet.

The couples, mostly tribal and belonging to Munda tribe are not economically sound to bear the cost of rituals associated with social marriage, especially throwing a feast for village elders and friends, which kept them away from entering into marriage.

Nimitt founder-director Nikita Sinha said she came in touch with one Buddhu Nag in course of her visit to village for Mukhia induction programme. "We are working on a World Bank project for village sanitation when Nag came to me seeking help in getting him married," she said.