With a view to reduce caste consciousness and to achieve egalitarianism in society, the Haryana government has so far provided financial assistance of about Rs. 1 Crore to 161 beneficiaries in the current financial year under the Mukhya Mantri Samajik Samrasta Antarjatiya Vivah Shagun Yojana.
Under this scheme being implemented by the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department, incentive of Rs. 1.01 lakh is provided to a scheduled caste (SC) boy or girl of Haryana who marries a non-scheduled caste girl or boy.
A spokesman of the Department said that financial assistance of Rs 21 Crore had been provided to 7,103 beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Vivah Shagun Yojana in the current financial year till June 30.
Under this scheme, grant of Rs. 41,000 is given to girls belonging to SCs, denotified tribes and tapriwas jatis who are living below poverty line, on their marriage. Similarly, grant of Rs. 11,000 is provided to persons belonging to all sections of society living below poverty line, other than Scheduled Castes, and farmers who have landholdings of less than 2.5 acres, or whose family annual income is less than Rs. 1,00,000.
Apart from this, grant of Rs. 31,000 is being provided to woman sports persons of any caste and income group on their marriage, provided that she had participated in any one of the 26 Olympic and 16 non-Olympic Games, and 22 other tournaments. There is also a provision to give Rs. 51,000 as financial assistance to widows belonging to all sections of society for the marriage of their daughters.
He said that under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the State Government was providing financial assistance ranging between Rs. 85,000 and Rs. 8.25 lakh to families which had suffered atrocities. Under this, financial assistance of Rs. 2.55 Crore has been provided to 220 beneficiaries till June.