Indian Journal of Economics and Development

There is growing evidence today that the number of overseas marriages are increasing by thousands every year. With the increase in Indian Diaspora, the number of matrimonial and related disputes in such marriages have also risen proportionately, in some cases even much more than proportionately. The sacramental character of marriage especially of overseas marriages has steadily diluted and has been a victim of declining social values and beliefs. Though abandonment of women has been an issue of concern for the past few decades still women are getting trapped in fraudulent marriages with overseas Indians. Hence the present exploratory study was conducted on 225 brides abandoned by NRI grooms, selected by using probability proportional sampling from three regions viz Doaba, Malwa and Majha of Punjab. The present study was carried out to examine the reasons for preferring NRI grooms by Punjabis, factors held responsible by abandoned brides for their present state. The role of government in tackling this problem was also studied.