Bengali Hindus marrying Assamese Hindus to get cash incentives

February 18: In order to cement the bond between the Bengali and Assamese speaking Hindu communities in Assam, Assam Linguistic Minority Development Board (ALMDB), a government body has announced to offer one-time financial assistance to the couples who entered into the inter-community marriage.

Assam Linguistic Minority Development Board Chairman Alok Kumar Ghose said, “We are trying to provide financial assistance to the couples who entered into inter-community marriages. We are trying to help them who already entered into inter-community marriage, but they did not think about their future, some couples who have faced social boycott, etc. They should have also right to live in our society.”

He also said that the board will provide financial assistance to them and it could be Rs 20,000 or Rs 50,000 . Ghosh said the amount, which is yet to be decided, would be given to couples from financially weak families in Assam in order to help them set up some small business. However, the scheme would not benefit non-Hindu Bengali speakers.

“The proposal was submitted to the state government two days ago,” Ghosh added. A website is already being designed for Bengali-Assamese Hindu couples to register their details online.

The All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation welcomed the move and said that it is a “very good suggestion”. However, the All Assam Minority Students Union criticised the BJP government in the state for what it said was an “agenda to polarise” people.