inter caste marriage

New Delhi, Jan. 9: Marry into one of the lower castes and live happily — with the government’s blessings.

The Centre has written to states to provide incentives to those who opt for inter-caste marriages in a bid to foster “a caste-less society”.

Some states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Bengal and Kerala, already give incentives to couples who marry outside their caste or religion, but the government wants all states to do so.

However, one of the spouses has to be from the lower castes. This means if both spouses belong to the upper castes, they wouldn’t be eligible for the incentive.

“Inter-caste and inter-religious marriages can play a great role in making India a barrier-free country. To encourage this, various incentives, including monetary ones, are needed,” said an official with the ministry of social justice and empowerment, which has promised to bear 50 per cent of the cost of the proposed scheme.

The Centre wants the incentive amount to be the same throughout India. It also wants it to be raised to a minimum of Rs 100,000.

While Goa gives Rs 1 lakh as incentive to couples who marry outside their caste or religion, the Uttar Pradesh government has promised both cash incentives and interest-free loan to such couples to set up cottage industries. In Bengal, the amount is Rs 2,000.

Gujarat pays Rs 50,000 to inter-caste couples.

The ministry official said inter-caste couples could approach the directorate of social justice and empowerment in their states for the benefits.

According to the official, the ministry had come up with a similar proposal during the previous UPA regime but it didn’t have the desired impact. Sources said the ministry was planning to organise a conference of state social welfare secretaries to discuss the plan.

Although the official also mentioned inter-faith marriages as one way towards a “barrier-free” India, the ministry’s “priority” now is inter-caste marriages.

“We have not taken a final decision on giving incentives for inter-religious marriages. Since it can be quite controversial, we do not want to get mired in it right now. Our priority for the time being is to encourage inter-caste marriages,” the official said.

Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/1100110/jsp/nation/story_11965695.jsp