HAVERI: A state government scheme designed to encourage intercaste marriages to help reduce caste barriers is facing a severe fund shortage, leaving thousands of eligible couples high and dry.Social welfare department received 15,575 applications for aid under the scheme between 2023-24 and 202526. Of these, 3,781 couples received the first instalment of Rs 1.5 lakh.Others are awaiting initial payment. Officials said applications have risen in recent years as acceptance of inter-caste marriages has grown, but fund allocation did not improve.Officials said no beneficiary was given the second instalment in the past three years. Department sources said more than Rs 80 crore is needed to clear the backlog of pending first-instalment payments. Another Rs 120 crore is required for the sec ond instalment, taking the total outstanding liability to nearly Rs 200 crore.Under the scheme, administered by social welfare and tribal welfare departments, a Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) bride marrying a person from another caste is eligible for Rs 3 lakh, while an SC or ST groom marrying outside his caste will get Rs 2.5 lakh.To qualify, one spouse must belong to SC or ST community, both spouses must be residents of Karnataka and their combined annual family income must not exceed Rs 5 lakh. Applications are generally required to be submitted within 18 months from the da te of marriage.“I went ahead with an inter-caste marriage despite opposition from my family. I hoped the govt’s incentive would help us start our new life. It’s been three years of visits to govt offices, I feel helpless,” said an SC applicant.“We have been getting a lot of applications for the incentive. We expect additional funds to be released,” said Siddalingesha Bevinamatti, joint director of te social welfare department.
