Dehradun: Men marrying physically challenged women in Uttarakhand will now receive an incentive of Rs 50,000. The Pushkar Singh Dhami government has also decided to give a revolutionary boost to aromatic plant cultivation by bringing more than 22,000 hectares of land under it.
This was announced by Director General of the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Banshidhar Tiwari after a state cabinet meeting.
Tiwari stated that earlier, under the Social Welfare Department, the incentive for other marriages, including intercaste unions, was Rs. 50,000, but for men marrying physically challenged women, it was only Rs 25,000.
The new cabinet decision will ensure parity in incentive amounts for these marriages.
Uttarakhand’s Social Welfare Department, under its Marriage Promotion Grant Scheme, pays Rs. 50,000 to couples from various categories who marry.
These include marriages with daughters of Scheduled Caste and Tribe communities, abandoned married women, or daughters of mentally challenged men or their wives. Similar incentives were also provided for intercaste marriages.
In another significant step, the Dhami government has decided to give a major facelift to aromatic plant cultivation in the hill state.
The cabinet approved the Uttarakhand Mehak Kranti Niti (UMKN) 2026-2036, aiming to bring 22,750 hectares under aromatic plant cultivation over the next 10 years.
"This decision will improve the economy of more than 91,000 farmers in the first phase of implementation. It will establish aromatic plant cultivation as a revolutionary farming activity and lead to massive production of select aromatic plants in the state," said Tiwari.
He added that farmers cultivating aromatic plants on less than one hectare will be eligible for an 80 percent government grant, while those cultivating more than one hectare will receive a 50 per cent grant.
The Dhami cabinet also approved proposals to restructure the Uttarakhand Jail Administration and Reform Service and establish a correctional wing under it.
Additionally, the cabinet cleared a proposal for the state government to bear an additional cost of Rs 27.85 crore for constructing 1,872 houses for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) under the Prime Minister Housing Scheme in Udhamsingh Nagar district.
