Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patanaik launched a web portal as a step to establish social equality by promoting Inter-Caste marriages. As a result, the Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage scheme 2023 is available for public registration on sumangal.Odisha.govt.in.
Social hierarchy has been dominant in Indian Society since ancient times when it comes to Hindu marriages. For instance, only 5% of Indians were found to be married to a spouse of another caste according to a 2014 survey. The vice of the Caste system still plagues the country. Because a large portion of the entire population is deemed untouchable. Therefore, the Odisha government has proposed a scheme to fight this social vice by opening a new portal. The candidates can register for inter-Caste marriage and get an incentive hike up to 2.5 Lakhs. This is an admirable initiative on behalf of the government.
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About the Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme 2023
The Portal for registration is developed by the SC and ST development, Minority and backward classes welfare department. The original incentive before August 2017 was 50,000 rupees but the state government hiked the incentive to 1 Lakh rupees. In October 2020, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced another hike of 1.5 lakhs. So, making the total amount provided 2.5 Lakhs.
The amount is provided to couples married to an individual from a different caste category. Both should belong to Hindu Communities. This grant is issued to encourage more such unions in society so that caste differences would be eradicated.
The eligible candidates can apply for the scheme on the online government portal sumangal.odisha.gov.in. To check the eligibility and terms and condition read the article below. The registration link is also given in the article.
Who Can Apply for the Odisha Inter-Caste marriage scheme 2023
Here are the terms and conditions set by the department for eligibility for the scheme.
| 1 | The wedding must be solemnized between a Hindu caste and a Scheduled Caste belonging to the Hindu community. |
| 2 | The marriage should be valid as per the law and duly as registered under the Hindu Marriage Act,1955. |
| 3 | Both the spouses should be citizens of India, Permanent residents of Odisha and both should be professing Hindu Religion. |
| 4 | One of the spouses should belong to Schedules Castes as prescribed under Article 341 of the Constitution of India. |
| 5 | The incentive will also be given for the purchase of lands/Essential articles for households or for starting a business. |
| 6 | The grant shall be given only once and it will be entitled to the person marrying for the first time. |
| 7 | The exception to the aforementioned rule is that if the bride is a widow or the bride-groom is a widower. Then they are entitled to the incentive. This condition should be clearly stated in the marriage certificate. |
| 8 | The incentive and other facilities will only be applicable only after the date of issue of the resolution issued by the government. (When marriage is solemnized) |
| 9 | There will be no incentive applicable on second marriages. |
Documents needed to Apply for the scheme
- Photo copy of Marriage Registration Certificate (Scanned)
- Scanned Photo copy of Caste Certificates of both spouses (Stating in it the names of communities, Sub-Castes which they belong to)
- Joint Photograph of both husband and wife
- Scanned Photo copy of duly signed Declaration form; (Annexure II and Annexure IV)*
- Scanned Photo copy of joint bank Passbook (In any Government, Nationalized Bank)
How to Register for the Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme
The interested and eligible people can register for the incentive on the online portal. SC & ST Development, Minority and Backward classes welfare Department, Odisha started the welfare. The objective was to encourage the people of Odisha to wed outside of their Caste circle (Jaatis). This was to take one step forward to Social Integration and fraternity. So, these are simple steps to apply and register for the Scheme.
STEP 1: Have the Documents Ready at Hand
Before applying for the incentive the candidates need to possess all the required documents so that they meet the criteria for the scheme. *Annexures are basically declaration forms that need to fill and signed duly before applying for the incentive. To Download the Declaration forms- Annexure-II and Annexure IV Click on the links below :
STEP 2 : Visit the Official Website
Candidates need to visit the official website for the application for the incentive i.e.
You will be redirected to the page above. There you will need to click on the Register here link. If you have already been registered, you only need to put in your phone number and password and the website will automatically generate an OTP for you. You will then need to input the OTP and enter the captcha/ Security key and click on Login.
STEP 3: Create an Account
On the other hand, for new registrations, the process starts with Clicking on the Register Here link. Then the following page will appear on the screen. Fill in the following required information for registration.
- Name
- Password (Set a unique password for your account and keep it for future references)
- Phone Number(Working)
- Permanent Address
- Select District and block accurately
- Name of the city
- Email ID
- Enter the previously set password again
- OTP ( You have to enter the OTP On the mobile number that you provided )
- Enter the captcha on the captcha strip
- Pin Code (Of the area you live in)
Consequently hit the register button and your account for the Odisha Inter-Caste marriage Incentive will be complete.
STEP 4 : Complete the Rest of the Application
After that, go back to the home page and log in using your Registration information. When you click on the login tab you will see this page on your screen.
On this page, the details regarding the Husband and wife will be filled in. The candidate will need to specifically fill following details. The page, as you can see will have two equal sections for separate details of both Husband and wife. Subsequently, Fill in the asked details such as:
- First on top of the page provide the applicant’s (Husband or Wife) email ID and phone number.
- Full name of the husband on the left section and full name of wife on the right one.
- Write the complete address of the spouses (Tick on the same as husband’s/Wife’s address if it’s the same).
- In the Address section there will be following details asked.
- Aadhaar Card number
- City Name
- District Name
- Block Name
- State name
- Pin Code
STEP – 5 : Fill in the Marriage Related Details
Fill in the further details in the application form such as:
- Occupation and Monthly Income of the husband/wife
- Category and Sub Caste
Answer the following asked questions truthfully in the application.
- Has the marriage registered?
- Date and Office name of registration
- Is it the First marriage of Husband/Wife?
- Check the Widow/Widower Status tabs if applicable
- Have you received the grant earlier? (Mention the date if “Yes”)
- Enter in the Bank information Detail section: Name of the Bank and, Bank Account Number with IFSC Code, Name of the Branch of the Bank
STEP 6 : Upload the Documents
This is the final step of the procedure of applying for the Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme 2023.
- Upload a joint photograph of husband and wife
- First page of the Bank Account (Scanned)
- Caste Certificate
- Duly signed Declaration form I
- Scanned Copy of Scanned Declaration form II
- Scanned Marriage Registration Certificate Signed by Competent Authority.
[Apply] E District Odisha Certificate Portal Online
The Allotment of the Incentive
The total amount of incentive was 50,000 rupees before 2017. But in 2017 the amount hiked to 1 Lakhs. The beneficiary is Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The Incentive is a one-time grant so there are some guidelines to get the award. Most importantly, one of the spouses must belong to an Upper Caste Hindu Community and secondly, another spouse should belong to a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe Hindu community. In addition, the spouse belonging to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled tribe must be specified under article 341 of the Constitution Of India.
The incentive sum is therefore an award to the couples with marriage registered under The Hindu Marriage Act 1955. After that, they will be eligible for the grant If the aforementioned criteria are fulfilled by the candidates.
The incentive amount will be deposited in the couple’s joint bank account. However, the Joint Bank Account should be in any Nationalised Bank. Moreover, the couple can withdraw the amount only after 3 years of marriage to avoid any fraud. The amount gets deposited in the account generally within 2 months of successful registration. Therefore amount may help in making life easier for spouses who choose to go beyond social norms and contribute to the social normality of inter-caste Hindu Marriages.
Objective of the Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme
Firstly, discrimination based on the Caste that one belongs to has been prevalent in India for a long time. Some couples marry outside their caste. They are cornered in the society for this and life becomes hard and isolated for them. So Odisha government initiated the Inter-Caste Marriage scheme to encourage young couples. There have been different successful allotments of the incentive over the years because the couples could not be completely eligible for the scheme.
The main objective of this scheme is to promote social equality and social integration. The State government has given a hike of 1.5 lakh to the grant for eligible couples and to make sure that they live a life untroubled. Untouchability has been a social plague to our national Unity and the State Government aims to erase it from society. So the grant is a political way to encourage inter-caste marriages as much as possible because marriage/Wedlock is the best way to unite two sections of society.
Moreover, most of the State Governments have been following the incentive scheme to break social normality. So, every year there are a number of candidates that opt for inter-caste marriage and have the support of the government too. In conclusion, these young couples are able to live in a society with legal support and respect from higher authorities.
Odisha MUKTA Yojana 2023 Online Registration
Overview Of the Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme
| Name of the Scheme | Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme 2023 |
| Type of Scheme | Government Scheme |
| Name of the State | Odisha, India |
| Name of the Beneficiary | Naveen Patnaik (CM, Odisha) |
| Registration Mode | Online |
| Official Website | sumangal.odisa.gov.in |
| Recipients | Hindu SC/ST individuals married to Other Hindu Castes |
| Total Grant/Incentive | INR 2.5 Lakhs/- |
| Documents needed | Marriage Registration Certificate Caste and Sub Caste Certificates of both husband and wife Bank account documents Joint Photograph of husband and wife Declaration Form I and II |
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FAQs Related to Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme 2023
The amount of Incentive for Odisha Inter-Caste Marriage scheme is 2.5 Lakhs.
One of the spouses must belong to a Hindu Caste Community and others from any of the SC or ST communities belonging to Hindu Castes.
Once your application is accepted the incentive will be credited to your mentioned bank account within 60 days or so.
No, but only in the case of any of the spouses being a widow or a widower.
The registration for the Scheme is conducted on the online govt. portal. i.e. sumangal.Odisha.govt.in
No, both husband and wife do not need to apply separately for the incentive. Only one of the spouses needs to apply but the details of both partners must be filled in the application form.
The links are given in the article to the declaration forms, (Annexure I and II). Download the forms and then take printouts.
You will need documents such as Marriage Registration Certificate, Bank Account Details and both Declaration forms duly signed etc.
Yes, both the applicant must be the permanent resident of Odisha or their application will be rejected.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the Web Portal Sumangal back in 2020.