Cupid strikes Karnal, huge rise in inter-caste weddings this yr

Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, October 14

Call it the lure of Rs 2.5-lakh incentive being given by the Haryana government or the cupid indeed striking inter-caste couples, marriages registered under the Mukhyamantri Samajik Samrasta Antarjatiya Vivah Shagun Yojana have witnessed a considerable rise in Karnal district this year.

Ninety such couples — one of the partners must be from the Scheduled Caste — have registered themselves with the District Welfare Office during the first half of the current fiscal, a count that has surpassed the total of 76 inter-caste marriages in 2017-18 and 47 in 2016-17.

District Welfare Officer Surinder Kumar Fuliya said the number of applicants has increased rapidly, particularly after the government hiked the incentive from Rs 1.01 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh around three month ago.  Fuliya said eligible couples could apply within a year of their marriage online at the Welfare of Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes Department website. He said the incentive was given only for the first marriage and was provided as a three-year fixed deposit in the joint account of the couple. “The objective is to promote communal harmony and eliminate caste discrimination,” said Fuliya. 

Couples too feel the scheme has been successful in strengthening bonds between different communities. “Caste barriers have been created by certain sections for vested interests and these benefit none. In fact, youth like us are the worst sufferers… Though it was difficult, we managed to convince our families for our marriage,” said a couple, seeking anonymity. 

They admitted the government incentive would take care of their future needs, though it was not the prerequisite for their relationship.

A Social Welfare Department official credited the rising literacy among girls for the popularity of the scheme. “The trend is going up as more girls are enrolling for higher education... But in most of the cases, parents of either the groom or the bride do not attend the weddings, fearing they may be ostracised,” he added.