In Odisha, The Government Will Pay Rs 2.5 Lakh As Incentive To Marry A Person With Disabilities
With an aim to encourage people to marry persons with disabilities, the Odisha government has enhanced the cash incentive from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000 per eligible couple.
The incentive amount under the scheme has now been enhanced from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000 per eligible couple, Bhaskar Sharma, commissioner-cum-secretary of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department, wrote to all the district collectors.
The department also issued a revised guideline for facilitating and encouraging such marriages.
Sharma in the letter to district collectors on February 23 mentioned that during implementation of this scheme, some operational problems were brought to the notice of the department, for which the incentive for marrying persons with benchmark disabilities has been enhanced from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh.
A cash incentive award can be given to either of the spouses with benchmark disability if the other person marries a person with benchmark disability. The bridegroom and the bride must have completed 21 years and 18 years of age, respectively at the time of the marriage, the guideline said.
The guideline clearly mentioned that spouses should not have availed of the incentive award under this scheme earlier and such wedding should be dowry free.
With the enhanced amount, Odisha has become the state that pays the highest cash incentive for marrying a disabled person.
Madhya Pradesh government had in 2017 initiated a similar scheme under which a cash incentive of Rs 2 lakhs was offered.
In Telangana, the government has a Rs 1 lakhs cash incentive for marrying persons with disabilities, while in other states like Maharashtra the amount is Rs 50,000.
