(MENAFN- Live Mint) While Uttarakhand has made it mandatory for live-in couples to register themselves with the government, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has now asked girls to 'stay away from it' while addressing the convocation ceremonies of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Jannayak Chandrashekhar Vishwavidyalaya, and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi.

The governor, who is also the chancellor of state universities, expressed concern over rising instances of violence against women and urged girl students to make wise decisions in their personal lives.

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"Daughters must think carefully before taking any decision and should stay away from live-in relationships and such circumstances which may lead to exploitation," she said, according to a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan.

As per Times of India , the Governor told the students,“If you want to see the outcome of live-in relationships, go look at orphanages, where 15-20 year-old girls are standing in line with one-year-old kids. Live-in relationships have become a trend these days. But, stay away from it,” further adding,“I have seen women being chopped up into 50 pieces."

Patel, who is also the former Gujarat Chief Minister, instead urged girls to pursue their education and warned them that neither their parents nor their in-laws might care for them later.

Besides live-in relationships, Patel also cautioned the students against the use of drugs, and said that“Education is for a change in life, not just for a degree.”

Also Read | Uttarakhand UCC rules for live-in couples explained

The convocation ceremony, held under her chairmanship, saw degrees conferred upon 55,642 undergraduate and 15,321 postgraduate students. Of these, 34,252 were women and 21,387 were men at the undergraduate level, while 11,484 women and 3,837 men received postgraduate degrees, as per PTI. A total of 178 research scholars were awarded PhDs and 101 meritorious students received gold medals, the publication reported.

Live-in relationships in Uttarakhand

When the Pushkar Singh Dhami government in Uttarakhand implemented the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), it mandated that any live-in relationship within the state has to be registered with the government within a month of its commencement. Age and proof of residency will be required while registering such an arangement.

Failure to register the same can lead to fines as well as jail terms upto six months. The Uttarakhand UCC has also provided a legal framework in which children born from such relationships are given protection by the government. Landlords also have to verify the registration certificates of live-in relationships for rental agreements, as per the new law.

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