Lok Sabha Question No. 119 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-06
Subject: Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 119

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2026

## BAL VIVAH MUKT BHARAT

- *119.  SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched the 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' initiative/pledge with the objective of reducing child marriage upto 10 percent by 2026 to make India child marriage free by 2030;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  details  of  the  steps  taken/being  taken  to  create  awareness/encourage  citizens, institutions and public representatives to take the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat pledge;
- (d) whether the Government has launched a high intensity 100 day special drive/programme against child marriage in the country;
- (e) if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the details of the measures taken/ being taken to strengthen enforcement of existing laws and to ensure effective rehabilitation, education and empowerment of girls rescued from child marriage?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

- (a) to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 119 FOR 06.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO AND SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA REGARDING 'BAL VIVAH MUKT BHARAT'

(a) to (e): The Government of India launched the national campaign ' Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' (BVMB) on 27 th  November 2024, with the objective of making India child-marriage-free. It is one  of  the  most  important  imperatives  to  promote  education,  skilling,  enterprise  and entrepreneurship among girls and women to realise the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' through 'whole  of  government'  and  'whole  of  society'  approach.  The  campaign  aims  to  create awareness for prevention of child  marriage,  enhance  involvement  of  parents,  families,  and communities,  strengthen  the  role  and  capacity  of  Child  Marriage  Prohibition  Officers (CMPOs), encourage timely reporting of child marriage cases, and identify adolescent girls who are school dropouts or at risk of child marriage to ensure their education, skilling, and empowerment.

To commemorate the success of the campaign and further intensify efforts, a 100 Days Special Campaign under 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' was launched on 4 th December 2025 to mobilise all stakeholders in a structured and time-bound manner. The 100 Days Special Campaign focuses on  targeted  outreach  to  institutions,  community  leaders  and  service  provider,  along  with mandatory uploading of details of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) on the BVMB Portal.

The campaign follows a spell-wise thematic implementation plan. Spell -I  (27 th November, 2025  to  31st  December,  2025)  focuses  on  sensitisation  activities  in  schools,  colleges  and universities through debates, essay competitions and pledge ceremonies. Spell -II (1 st January, 2026 to 31 st January, 2026) focuses on engagement with religious institutions and marriagerelated  service  providers,  including  temples,  mosques,  caterers,  tent  houses  and  DJs,  to discourage child marriage and display IEC materials. Spell -III (1 st February, 2026 to 8 th March, 2026)  focuses  on  mobilisation  of  Gram  Panchayats  and  Municipal  Wards  for  passing resolutions declaring their jurisdictions as child-marriage-free.

A dedicated digital platform, the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat portal (https://stopchildmarriage.wcd.gov.in), facilitates reporting of child marriage incidents, dissemination  of  information,  and  registration  of  pledges.  Citizens,  institutions,  and  public representatives can take the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat pledge on the dedicated portal as well as through the MyGov portal, promoting wide participation. As on date, awareness programmes have reached over 6 crore citizens, and more than 28 lakh pledges against child marriage have been registered on the portal, reflecting strong community engagement and active participation across the country. (f): The campaign strengthens enforcement of the 'The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA)' by building the capacity of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs), police officials, child protection committees, ASHAs, ANMs, and other duty bearers for immediate response to  complaints.  The  BVMB  portal  serves  as  a  centralised  repository  of  more  than 60,700  CMPOs  across  States  and  Union  Territories,  providing  citizens  with  an  efficient reporting  mechanism,  where  early  reporting  enables  timely  intervention  to  prevent  child

marriages.

The Central Government also undertakes awareness drives, media campaigns, and outreach programs, and issues advisories to States and UTs from time to time to highlight the harmful effects of child marriage. Under the umbrella of Mission Shakti, MWCD implements the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) component, which focuses on creating awareness about gender equality and discouraging child marriage. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) undertakes awareness programs and consultations with stakeholders, while the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), through its State and District arms, creates awareness about the ill-effects of child marriage, issues Standard Operating Procedures for effective prevention, and provides free legal aid through its helpline 15100.

In addition, Government of India has introduced Child Helpline with short code 1098, a tollfree 24X7X365 telephone emergency outreach service for children in crisis which responds with suitable interventions to call for any form of assistance which a child requires, including for  prevention  of  child  marriages,  in  coordination  with  police,  CMPOs,  District  Child Protection Units etc. The Child Helpline has also been integrated with Emergency Response Support  System  (ERSS-112)  to  provide  for  24x7x365  emergency  response,  resources  and services. In addition, the services of Women Helpline (181), which is integrated with the ERSS is also available round the clock to provide emergency and non- emergency assistance.

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