Assam slashes child marriages by 81%, eyes total elimination by 2026

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that there has been an 81 per cent decline in child marriage cases in 20 of the state’s 35 districts between 2021–22 and 2023–24.

Attributing this achievement to the Assam government's strong legal action against the practice, the Chief Minister vowed to eradicate child marriage completely in the state by 2026, according to an official release.

Sarma added that Assam’s relentless campaign to eliminate child marriage was commended during the NDA Chief Ministers’ conclave held on Sunday.

At the conclave, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam came in for much appreciation from the Union ministers, chief ministers of other states, and Modi himself, for its "vigorous and relentless" efforts to eliminate child marriage, he said.

Modi asked the chief ministers of the NDA-ruled states to emulate the Assam model to eradicate the menace of child marriage, according to the release.

Modi also asked officials to visit Assam to get a first-hand experience of how the state has done away with child marriage, it said.

In the daylong conclave, the CMs showcased best practices adopted in their states in such areas as water conservation, grievance redressal, administrative frameworks, education, women empowerment, and sports.