The Government on Wednesday launched the Bal-Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign, urging states and Union territories to create specific action plans with the goal of reducing child marriage rates to below 5% by 2029. This initiative comes in response to the ongoing concern that, despite successfully preventing nearly 2 lakh child marriages in the past year, one in five girls in India is still married before the legal age of 18. Such practices are not only a serious human rights violation but are also a criminal offense under Indian law.

Launched by Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi, the Bal-Vivah Mukht Bharat Abhiyan will focus on the seven high-burden states - West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh - and nearly 300 high-burden districts where child marriage rates are high as compared to the national average. A key feature of the initiative is the launch of the Child Marriage Free Bharat portal, a platform to raise awareness, report cases, and monitor progress.

 "Child marriage is a significant challenge before us and is a practice that limits the potential of millions of girls. In our country today, one in every five girls is married before the age of 18. Child marriage is one of the most severe forms of human rights violations and is also a criminal offense under the law," Devi said.

 She added that while laws like the Prevention of Child Marriage Act are instrumental, "we must also focus on raising awareness because legislation alone cannot eradicate this issue".

“Figures also reveal that nearly 2 lakh child marriages have been prevented in a single year. Additionally, a United Nations report states that the most significant global decline in child marriage rates has been observed in South Asian countries, with India playing a crucial role in this achievement," she said.

The Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign seeks to engage multiple stakeholders in a collective effort to eliminate child marriage.  The minister credited schemes like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Samagra Shiksha, and the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana for improving girls' access to education and ensuring their financial future.

"With the introduction of the National Education Policy, 2020, and scholarships for disadvantaged groups, we are creating opportunities for girls to realize their potential," she said.

"Patriarchal norms continue to pose challenges, but interventions like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao have proven effective in shifting societal mindsets. With consistent efforts, we can create an enabling environment for our girls," she said.

Despite the progress, the minister cautioned that there is no room for complacency.

 "We cannot stop until India is completely free of child marriages," she said, calling for active participation from citizens.