Incentives for inter-caste marriages may help curb atrocities on Dalits: Parliament panel | India News – Times of India
The panel’s recommendation comes in the backdrop of the paradox that while there has been an increase in inter-caste marriages involving SCs, crimes against the SCs/STs remain high. As a result, the panel believes that schemes that promote “social integration and harmony and remove practice of untouchability and caste-based discrimination” should be implemented in states where atrocities are high.
The central scheme — “incentive for inter-caste marriage” — reported an increase last year. While 17,263 claims were made in 2016-17, it went up to 20,253 in 2017-18 and further up to 23,355 in 2019-20. Under the scheme, cash incentive is provided to every couple in which one spouse is SC.
The two recommendations will encourage inter-caste marriage and discourage contractors from being callous, which they often are. But it is equally important to accelerate the pace of social change, which will end such social inequity.
The parliamentary standing committee on social justice and empowerment headed by BJP MP Rama Devi, in its report on Demand for Grants for 2021-22, has expressed its dismay at the fact that despite all the laws and programmes to beat the scourge of untouchability, cases of atrocities remain high.
Noting that as per NCRB, 2,02,427 atrocity cases against SCs and 33949 cases against STs were registered between 2015-2019, the panel said, “Unfortunately, this figure may actually be higher as several cases go unreported. The committee feel that sincere efforts at the execution level to create awareness as well as sensitise people to come out of their prejudices and bias against the SCs and create an equal society, are urgently required. Some of the states still have a glaring number of atrocity cases despite prevailing laws.”
In the context of fighting prejudices against SCs, the panel cited the example of the central scheme that provides cash support for marriage between an SC and a non-SC.
“In line with the existing scheme for incentivising inter-caste marriages, more schemes are required to be introduced, particularly by the governments of those states where a very large number of cases (atrocities) are reported, with proper monitoring mechanism to promote social integration and harmony, and remove practice of untouchability and caste-based discrimination,” it recommended.