Men Marrying Physically Challenged Women In Uttarakhand To Get ₹50,000

Director general of the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Banshidhar Tiwari briefed the media after the Cabinet meeting. He said that earlier, under the Social Welfare Department, incentives for marriages, including inter-caste unions, were fixed at ₹50,000, but marriages involving physically challenged women received only ₹25,000. The Cabinet’s decision has now brought parity, ensuring ₹50,000 is paid in all such cases.

The Social Welfare Department already provides ₹50,000 under the Marriage Promotion Grant Scheme for couples marrying across different categories, including Scheduled Caste and Tribe women, abandoned women, and daughters of mentally challenged men.

In another key decision, the Cabinet approved the Uttarakhand Mehak Kranti Niti (UMKN) 2026–2036, aimed at bringing 22,750 hectares of land under aromatic plant cultivation. This policy is expected to improve the livelihoods of over 91,000 farmers in its first phase, with government grants of 80 per cent for farmers cultivating less than one hectare and 50 per cent for those with more than one hectare.

The Dhami Cabinet also cleared proposals to restructure the Uttarakhand Jail Administration and Reform Service with a new correctional wing. Additionally, it approved ₹27.85 crore in extra costs for constructing 1,872 houses for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme in Udham Singh Nagar district.