Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had recently launched a web portal that would help inter-caste couples get an incentive within 60 days of application. The primary goal of the Sumangal portal, developed by ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, is to promote inter-caste marriages in Odisha. Notably, the incentive money for such marriages has now been increased to Rs 2.5 lakh.
As per reports, the incentive amount of Rs 2.5 lakh would be deposited in a joint bank account of the couple in any nationalised bank, which they can withdraw only after three years of marriage. Moreover, this incentive amount would be accessible to the couples, irrespective of the economic or class backgrounds.
To avail of the incentive money, the married couple has to qualify the following criteria:
- The marriage needs to be valid and registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
- One of the spouses should belong to scheduled castes, according to Article 341 of the Indian Constitution. One of the spouses has to be from an upper caste while the other spouse needs to be from a lower caste.
- The grant would be given only to people marrying for the first time. However, in case, the bride is a widow or the bride-groom a widower, they would be eligible for the incentive.
- The incentive money is to be used for purchasing land, starting a business and such purposes.
Interestingly, a total of 543 couples availed of the inter-caste marriage benefit for which the state government spent Rs 2.65 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal year. Meanwhile, a total of 658 inter-caste marriages were registered in Odisha in the year 2019.