Centre Launches 100-Day Drive to Reinforce Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat
Campaign marks one year of national initiative to eliminate child marriage across India
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Dec: The Ministry of Women and Child Development on Thursday launched a 100-day intensive awareness campaign to mark one year of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (Child Marriage Free India) initiative. The national event was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi in the presence of Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi and Minister of State Savitri Thakur.
The Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign, launched on November 27, 2024, aims to eliminate child marriage through coordinated efforts involving government agencies, civil society, and community institutions. Marking the first anniversary, the Ministry reaffirmed that the initiative has already shown visible impact across the country.
Child rights activist Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), called on all stakeholders to strengthen the nationwide movement. He underlined the vital role of community groups, faith leaders, panchayats and citizens in building a child-marriage-free India.
Ribhu said more than one lakh child marriages were prevented last year due to collective vigilance and action, adding that the campaign has become a global model. He urged stakeholders to work toward the next milestone—making one lakh villages child-marriage-free in the coming year—to ensure every child has access to safety, opportunity and a secure future.
JRC, a civil society network of over 250 NGOs operating across 451 districts, continues to work closely with law enforcement agencies on child protection. The intensified 100-day drive seeks to boost awareness, improve reporting mechanisms and mobilise communities as India moves toward the broader vision of a Viksit Bharat.
