One step in favour of equality in India seems to be accompanied by two steps back. While there has been a heartening rise in the number of inter-caste marriages, India has also witnessed growing atrocities against Dalit communities. There was a rise in the number of weddings involving a Dalit spouse in 2020, but National Crime Records Bureau figures also show a corresponding spike in crimes against scheduled castes in recent years. The violence thus outweighs the progress made by these inter-caste alliances. Taking cognizance of this reality, a parliamentary panel has now suggested the adoption of schemes incentivizing inter-caste unions in a bid to curb caste-based violence. The suggestion has its merits. If society at large were to perceive inter-caste unions as having the support of Parliament, young people might feel emboldened to marry whom they choose, and their families — often the greatest source of opposition — might even bless the unions. In fact, the Central scheme, under which cash incentives are extended to couples in cases where one spouse belongs to a scheduled caste, witnessed claims going up to 23,355 in 2019-20 from 20,253 in 2017-18. Cash incentives could also be a boon for poor families unable to organize weddings. The parliamentary panel’s progressive outlook is also reassuring at a time when caste atrocities have witnessed a surge in Uttar Pradesh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s ruling party, has unleashed a campaign against interfaith unions.

Of course, the idea of incentives is not new: in 2020, Karnataka reported a three-fold increase in inter-caste unions in five years as a result of a similar policy. But it must be remembered that State paternalism can ultimately do little to address the underlying problems of entrenched caste prejudice. Caste remains a pervasive force in Indian politics, policymaking and justice delivery. Political patronage on the basis of caste constituencies, systemic discrimination against lower caste groups and a poor conviction rate — it fell from 19.3 per cent in 2018 to 18.1 per cent in 2019 — are some of the manifestations of this perversity. The real challenge lies in tackling the disease, not its symptoms. This is predicated upon widening the scope of affirmative action to ensure equality in rights and access to healthcare, education and public spaces, including places of worship, alongside prompt and impartial action on the part of law enforcement to check caste crimes. Inter-caste marriage as an acceptable norm is still a far cry in India, but imaginative policy and parliamentary endorsement could well ignite a momentum for change.