An Inter-caste marriage, for the purpose of this Scheme means a marriage in which one of the spouses belongs to Scheduled Caste and the other belongs to a Non-Scheduled Caste The marriage should be valid as per the law and duly registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

Intercaste marriage ( ICM ), [1] also known as marrying out of caste, [2] is a form of exogamous nuptial union that involve two individuals belonging to different castes. Intercaste marriages are particularly perceived as socially unacceptable and taboo in most parts of South Asia .