Couples need to submit several documents, which are often with their parents. They choose to ignore the scheme than risk their lives.
Published Oct 02, 2023 | 11:13 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 02, 2023 | 11:13 AM
Social Welfare Department received only 2,873 applications for the inter-caste marriage assistance scheme in 2022-23. (Laasya Shekhar/ South First)
Despite the Department of Social Welfare encouraging intercaste marriages in Tamil Nadu, not many are willing to marry outside their respective castes — or so it seems.
The state government initiated the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Ammaiyar Ninaivu (Memorial) Intercaste Marriage Assistance Scheme in 1968 to abolish discrimination based on caste by encouraging intercaste marriages.
The scheme now provides financial assistance of ₹50,000 each to eligible couples, besides a 22-carat gold coin weighing eight grams (7.98 gm is one sovereign).
According to the norms, one of the couple should be from the backward/most backward community (BC/MBC), or Scheduled Caste (SC), or Scheduled Tribe (ST), and the other from a forward community.
In 2022-2023, the scheme received 2,873 applications. Between 2018 and 2023, only 12,846 couples applied for the scheme, as per the data from the social welfare department. A total of 10,349 couples received the monetary benefit.
Though the scheme is being promoted, it has fewer applications, data revealed.
“Except for a few Ambedkarities and Periyarists, several citizens are oblivious to the scheme. Even if they know, a majority of them do not apply as they are scared of the red tape. The experiences of others who had applied and never received the money do not motivate the newlyweds,” Dalit writer and activist Shalin Maria Lawrence said.
This assistance is a protective measure as the couples face threats and are ostracised from their villages. There is an economic letdown and this money is important for their financial security,” she added.
According to a study published by the Economic & Political Weekly in 2015, only three percent of the state’s population opted for intercaste marriages.
Sekaran* (27) from the Thiruvallur district married his childhood sweetheart Kumari* (23) in 2019. Sekaran belongs to the SC community while Kumari is a Vanniyar, a most backward community.
Kumari’s parents opposed her affair, made her discontinue her education, and detained her at home in 2018. “I was the topper in my college. My father beat me up, took away my phone, and didn’t let me go out of the home for a year,” she said.
A year later, Kumari managed to hoodwink her parents, got out, and married Sekaran. “I was penniless. Sekaran was just starting his career. We had to sleep on empty stomachs for several days,” she recalled.
The couple could not apply for the scheme for the want of the necessary multiple documents. “My documents were with my mother. If I had asked for them, she would have become suspicious, and my plan would have failed,” Kumari said.
The couple got married in a temple. “We did not register our wedding since the registrar’s office would put out a notice, calling for objections. We could not reveal our identity,” Sekaran added.
In the land of EV Ramasamy, casteism still prevails, and the so-called honour killings are not rare. Against this backdrop, there is a demand for setting up protection cells in every district.
“Intercaste couples live in fear for many years. Protection is the first step. They will have the courage to apply for these schemes only if they are protected. The protection cells should have officials from Adi Dravidar, police, and social welfare departments,” Arokiasamy Vincent Raj, founder of Evidence, said. Madurai-based Evidence is a non-profit working for Dalit rights.
A few other couples South First spoke to, said getting the documents was not easy.
“My wife should get her name deleted from her parents’ ration card and add it to mine. However, the one-time password will go to my father-in-law’s number. Calling him is not possible since they are on the lookout to eliminate us,” Antony of Tiruchi said.
Antony, a Dalit, married Vasundhara, a Reddiar. “We chose to live in poverty rather than risk our lives to avail the benefits of the scheme,” he added.
Harish and Naveena of Kanniyakumari got married in 2021 after a courtship of five years. Harish is a Goundar and Naveena belongs to the Scheduled Caste. As both are government employees, they assumed that they were not eligible for the scheme.
“The scheme doesn’t take into account the income or the employment of the couples. Anyone who fits into either category can apply,” a Revenue Department official told South First.
Kirubananthan D (31) and Durga Devi D (28) applied for the scheme at the Anaicut taluk office a year ago. The money would be helpful for the couple, recently blessed with a baby. However, they are yet to get the money sanctioned.
“The taluk officials asked us for a wedding card. Intercaste marriages are not conducted by inviting relatives and friends,” Kirubananthan said. Incidentally, wedding cards are not mandatory. “They won’t make it easy for us until I bribe them,” he added.
“The scheme is helpful for intercaste couples who start a new life outside their families. However, not enough couples apply for the scheme due to the difficulties in submitting the documents,” Advocate Ramesh, Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Inter Caste Marriage Association, said.
“We recognise and understand these issues. That is why the government has fixed timeline for applying within two years of marriage especially for intercaste marriages. By the time families would have reunited after initial turbulence,” Commissioner of the Social Welfare Department V Amuthavalli told South First.
*(Names of all couples have been changed on request)
