Kerala Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme 2026: ₹30,000 Aid

Kerala has had a small grant for couples who marry across caste lines for a long time. People search for it as the inter caste marriage scheme, the mishra vivaham grant, or simply “the ₹30,000”. It isn't a large amount, and it isn't automatic, but for a young couple setting up a home on a modest income it can help, and the conditions are easy to miss if nobody tells you about them early.

This guide explains the scheme as the Government of India's myScheme portal describes it, using the Kerala Social Justice Department's own listing. It's general information, not legal advice. Amounts, forms and rules change through government orders, so confirm everything with your District Social Justice Office before you apply.

What the scheme is

The scheme's official name is Financial Assistance to Inter-Caste Married Couples (Except SC/ST Category). It is run by the Department of Social Justice, Government of Kerala. In the department's words, it gives financial assistance to inter-caste married couples (except SC/ST category) “who suffer from financial problems”.

The benefit is a one-time payment of ₹30,000. A couple can receive it once, not once each and not again later.

The scheme isn't new. In March 2020, then Social Justice Minister K. K. Shailaja told the Assembly that inter-caste couples in the general category with an annual income below ₹1 lakh were given ₹30,000 for self-employment, according to a PTI report carried by The Quint. The figure is the same in the current listing.

Who qualifies

According to the scheme listing, you're eligible if all of these are true:

• You live in Kerala. The applicant must be a resident of the state.
• Your marriage is an inter-caste marriage, and you are legally married. In practice that means the marriage is registered (see below).
• Your combined family income is no more than ₹1,00,000 a year. This is the couple's combined income, shown on an income certificate from the Village Officer.
• You haven't received it before. The assistance is given only once.
• You apply within the time window: after one year of marriage, and no later than two years from the date of marriage.

The “Except SC/ST Category” in the name matters. This scheme is for couples outside the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories. If one of you is SC or ST, there are separate arrangements, covered further down. If one of you is from an OBC community, or your situation doesn't fit neatly, ask the District Social Justice Office which scheme applies before you collect documents.

The income limit, in practice

₹1,00,000 a year is a low ceiling, and it is the combined income of the couple, not each of you. A couple where both work in salaried jobs will usually be above it. The certificate has to come from the Village Officer, so the income it shows is what counts, not what you write on the form. If you're close to the limit, ask the Village Office how they'll assess it before you apply.

When to apply: the one-to-two-year window

This is the condition people most often get wrong. You can't apply straight after the wedding. The listing says couples must apply after one year of marriage, but not later than two years from the date of marriage. That gives you a window of roughly twelve months.

You may see other websites say three years. That figure appears on pages describing a different grant, the one where one spouse is from a Scheduled Caste. For the Social Justice Department's scheme for couples outside SC/ST, the official listing says two years. If you're unsure which applies to you, ask the office, and don't let the deadline pass while you wait for an answer.

The reason for the one-year wait shows up in the documents: you'll need a certificate saying you've lived together as a married couple for the past year.

What the money can be used for

The ₹30,000 isn't a wedding gift to spend as you like. The listing says it should be used for purposes like:

• Starting a business, which is why older reports describe it as help for self-employment.
• Buying land.
• Building a house.

Your local body, the grama panchayat, municipality or corporation, is expected to make sure the money is used for these purposes. When you receive the assistance, you'll be asked to sign an agreement and submit it to the local body. Keep a copy, and keep receipts for what you spend it on in case anyone asks later.

Documents you'll need

The listing gives this list. Make photocopies of everything and carry the originals when you submit.

• Identity proof: a copy of your voter ID card or Aadhaar card.
• Passport-size photographs.
• Income certificate (original) from the Village Officer.
• Proof that the inter-caste marriage is registered. The listing says this can be a certificate from the Sub Registrar's office or the panchayat president, and that certificates from organisations such as NSS and SNDP are also accepted.
• Caste certificates for both of you, from the Village Officer.
• An original certificate from a Gazetted Officer, MLA or MP saying the two of you have been living together for the past year.
• A copy of your ration card.
• Bank account details.

The “inter caste marriage certificate”

There's no single document called an inter-caste marriage certificate. What the office wants is proof that your marriage is registered, together with caste certificates showing that the two of you are from different castes. If you married under the Kerala Registration of Marriages (Common) Rules, your local body's marriage certificate is the registration record. If you married under the Special Marriage Act, it's the certificate from the Marriage Officer at the Sub Registrar's office.

Getting the one-year certificate

The certificate that you've lived together for a year has to be signed by a Gazetted Officer, your MLA or your MP. Ask early. A Gazetted Officer you know personally, such as a government doctor or a senior officer in a government department, is usually the easiest route. Bring a copy of your marriage certificate and proof of your shared address when you ask.

Where and how to apply

The scheme is applied for offline, on paper. According to the listing:

• Get the form. Collect the application form from your nearest District Social Justice Office, or download it from the Social Justice Department's website (sjd.kerala.gov.in).
• Fill it in completely. An incomplete form is the easiest reason for a delay.
• Submit it with the documents to the District Social Justice Officer of your district.

Ask for an acknowledgement or a receipt when you hand it in, and note the date. If you hear nothing for a while, follow up with the same office.

If one of you is SC or ST

The Social Justice Department's ₹30,000 scheme excludes couples in the SC and ST categories. Where one partner belongs to a Scheduled Caste, Kerala has a separate inter-caste marriage grant handled through the Scheduled Caste Development Department. The 2020 PTI report described that assistance as higher than ₹30,000, and secondary websites describe the eligibility, the documents and the deadline, but we couldn't open an official page confirming the current amount and rules.

So if one of you is SC, go to your local SC development office, or the block or district office of the Scheduled Caste Development Department, and ask what is available now, what the deadline is, and which documents they want. If one of you is ST, ask the Scheduled Tribes Development Department the same questions. Do this soon after the wedding, because time limits apply to these grants too.

The central Dr. Ambedkar scheme

You may also read about the Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration through Inter-Caste Marriages, a central government scheme run through the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation for couples where one spouse is from a Scheduled Caste. It offered ₹2.5 lakh, paid in instalments, according to BehanBox.

That scheme is no longer taking new applications as a separate scheme. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha in August 2026, Minister of State Ramdas Athawale said it was merged, with effect from 31 March 2023, into the centrally sponsored scheme for implementing the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, under which central funds go to states, which run the programmes. The reply said applications that had arisen before that date continued to be processed, as reported by Devdiscourse. A January 2023 notification said no new applications would be entertained under the old scheme, according to BehanBox.

In practice, if one of you is SC, the place to ask is the same: Kerala's SC Development Department, which can tell you whether any central assistance is now available through the state.

Register the marriage first

Nothing in this guide works without a registered marriage. The scheme asks for proof that your marriage is registered, and you can't apply until a year after the wedding, so the simplest thing you can do is register in the first few weeks.

• If you had a religious or customary wedding, register it with the local body where you married under the Kerala Registration of Marriages (Common) Rules, 2008. Our guide to marriage registration in Kerala covers the 45-day rule, the documents, K-SMART and what to do if you're late.
• If you're from different religions and want a civil marriage, that's the Special Marriage Act, 1954, with a notice period before a Marriage Officer. See our guide to interfaith marriage and the Special Marriage Act.

Once you're registered, put a reminder in your phone for the first wedding anniversary. That's when your window for the scheme opens, and it's the right time to ask for the one-year certificate and the income certificate.

A short checklist

• Register your marriage, and keep several copies of the certificate.
• Open or update a bank account you'll use for the payment.
• After your first anniversary, get the income certificate and caste certificates from the Village Office.
• Ask a Gazetted Officer, MLA or MP for the certificate that you've lived together for a year.
• Collect the form from the District Social Justice Office, or download it, and confirm the current amount and rules while you're there.
• Submit before your second anniversary, and get a receipt.
• When the money comes, sign the agreement with your local body and spend it on a business, land or a house.

Before the wedding: families and safety

For many couples the paperwork is the easy part. The harder part is the families. Our guide on how to talk to your parents about a love marriage has practical advice for those conversations.

Kerala's government has also recognised that some inter-caste and inter-religious couples face threats. In 2020 the Social Justice Minister told the Assembly that preliminary steps had begun to set up safe homes in every district, where couples could stay for up to a year after marriage, according to The Quint. We couldn't confirm which districts have them now, so if you need help, contact the District Social Justice Office, or the police if you are in danger.

Where Ourpoint fits

Ourpoint is a marriage app opening first in Kochi. There is no caste or community filter, on purpose: you can filter on things like religion, diet or language if they truly matter to you, but never on caste. On an Ourpoint Live evening you have six five-minute text chats with verified people, one at a time, each opening with a question for the two of you, and after each one you privately say yes or no. Only a mutual yes goes further. The first evening is in Kochi, and how it works explains the rest.