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Journalism of Courage
A day after The Indian Express reported that Maharashtra had constituted an ‘Intercaste/ Interfaith Marriage-Family Coordination Committee (state level)’ to gather details about couples in such marriages, and maternal families of such women if they were estranged, the state government Thursday amended its Government Resolution, saying the task of the committee will now be limited to gathering information about interfaith marriages, and not intercaste marriages.
The new GR stated that the panel had been renamed ‘Interfaith Marriage-Family Coordination Committee (state level)’ and “it was under the government’s consideration to amend the committee that was set up”.
On Tuesday, a committee, under state Women and Child Development Minister and BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha, had been tasked to look at interfaith and intercaste marriages.
The decision drew criticism from the Opposition which pointed to the state government scheme of granting funds to couples who go for intercaste marriage.
Speaking to The Indian Express Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Tuesday’s GR of the WCD department has been amended. This committee is only for interfaith marriages, and not intercaste marriages. The earlier GR was not the correct one.”
“The state government is encouraging intercaste marriages and there is also a plan to give financial rewards to those who do it. But cheating in interfaith marriages has increased in the past few years and some aspects have come to light in the Shraddha Walkar murder case,” he said
“It is alarming that there has been an increase in cases of cheating in interfaith marriages in some parts of the state. Therefore, fraud in the name of love jihad has to be stopped,” Fadnavis said.
The Maharashtra government already has a social welfare scheme to promote social integration and intercaste marriages. The scheme, ‘Incentive given to Encourage Intercaste Marriages’, is an initiative of the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department.
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