Guwahati, Nov 26 (IANS): To promote social harmony, the Assam government will give financial assistance under an inter-caste marriage scheme to undertake a business or income generation venture, officials said on Friday.

An official of the Welfare of Scheduled Castes Department said that under the recently launched inter-caste marriage scheme, Rs 10,000 to Rs 5 lakh would be given to undertake any kind of business or to start any income generation project.

According to the official, the beneficiary of the scheme has to be married between April 2019 and March 2021 and the annual income of the couple should not exceed Rs 5 lakh.

Another condition for being a beneficiary of the scheme is that one spouse must belong to the Scheduled Caste and the other to a general caste.

He said that on many occasions, it was witnessed that families reject inter-caste marriages leading to numerous problems, including suicides. This scheme would encourage a sense of harmony, positive mindset and societal balance in the state, he added.