In a bid to discourage discrimination against the lowest Dalit caste, Nepal's new government said on Monday that it would provide almost 1,300 dollars to inter-caste couples who marry.
Finance Minister Surendra Pandey said inter-caste marriages were still frowned upon, and he hoped that the 100,000-rupee (1,270-dollar) payment would help such couples in the early days of their marriage.
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Dressed to the nines on a balmy summer night, a crowd of young Japanese filled the reception area of a Tokyo wedding hall, a white mansion with Greek columns romantically festooned with fairy lights.
Dressed to the nines on a balmy summer night, a crowd of young Japanese filled the reception area of a Tokyo wedding hall, a white mansion with Greek columns romantically festooned with fairy lights.
"To encourage such inter-caste marriage, the government will provide a grant of 100,000 rupees to the newly married couple within 30 days of marriage registration."
Discrimination against Dalits, who make up around 13 percent of Nepal's population, was outlawed in the 1960s.
But the tradition of "untouchability" survives, particularly in rural areas, where Dalits are frequently banned from entering temples or drinking from communal wells.
Subash Darnal, a caste activist who is himself a Dalit, welcomed the new policy but said the government would have to take care to prevent abuses.
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"But very good initiatives can go wrong if they are not carried out seriously. What would happen if the husband accepted the money then abandoned his wife?"
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He said the government would also introduce measures to increase widows' access to employment.
Source-AFP
TAN
