The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley addressing at the release of the New Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), in New Delhi on July 03, 2015. The Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh and the Chief Economic Adviser, Dr. Arvind Subramanian are also seen.
New Delhi: (IANS) Over 40 percent people living in India’s rural areas prefer not to marry and live single, according to Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data released here on Friday.
The data said 41.64 percent people have never married and stayed single in rural areas. Nagaland, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir led the tally for being home to such people.
Nagaland has the maximum 55.88 percent people preferring not to marry followed by Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir with 53.33 and 51.64 percent respectively, the data said.
The SECC data said Daman and Diu was home to the largest number of married people with 52.73 percent followed by Andaman and Nicobar and Kerala with 49.35 and 47.86 percent respectively.
Mizoram (1.08 percent), Lakshadweep (0.51) and Meghalaya (0.35) were the states having the maximum number of divorced people, it said.