The centre was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who also flagged off a mobile van that will be doing the rounds of the city, spreading the message of the importance of tolerance and understanding in modern marriages.

While nearly 10,000 divorce cases are filed vis-à-vis the 1,36,000 weddings registered in the city every year, Dikshit said that pre-nuptial counselling is very important these days. “Temperamental differences and in-tolerance are major causes for divorce. It is often said that marriages are made in heaven but we choose to break them by our own follies,” Dikshit said while inaugurating the centre. Actor and Rajya Sabha MP Shabana Azmi and Delhi Public School, RK Puram principal Shyama Chona were also present on the occasion at the Delhi Secretariat.

Dikshit said studies conducted to mark out the reasons for divorce have shown that more couples are seeking divorce on the basis of flimsy and inconsequential reasons.

Citing cases where divorces have been filed over unwillingness to live with in-laws or to do household chores and even because the wife was not stylish enough, Dikshit said that it is imperative to ensure that couples were counselled over the need for tolerance and patience before getting married. Azmi said divorces are mainly caused by too many expectations from the spouse.