DEHRADUN: Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has ordered an inquiry into a press release issued by Tehri district social welfare officer that promoted a government scheme incentivising inter-caste and inter-faith marriages in the state.
According to CM's media coordinator Darshan Singh Rawat, CM Rawat ordered the probe in the matter to ascertain the circumstances that led to issuing of the press release now by the district social welfare officer.
Controversy had erupted over the press release a few days ago as a section of people criticised the state government’s policy on social media platforms saying that it is an “attempt to encourage the practice of love jihad”.
The development comes at a time when several BJP-ruled states — including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka -- are mulling to enforce laws to prevent the alleged practice of “love jihad”.
The Uttarakhand government meanwhile has claimed that their policy is not new and has been ongoing since 1976.
In fact, a government official said, the cash incentive being given jointly to inter-caste and inter-faith couples in the state was increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 in Uttarakhand in 2014 through an amendment in the Uttar Pradesh Antarjatiya/Antardharmik Vivah Protsahan Niyamawali, 1976.