Tripura’s Sepahijala DM to share ‘Mission Sankalp’ success at LBSNAA for ending child marriage

In a significant recognition of grassroots innovation in social reform, District Magistrate & Collector of Sepahijala District of Tripura, Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal, has been invited to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie to deliver two sessions as a Resource Person on the district’s landmark initiative  “Mission Sankalp”  which has played a pivotal role in transforming Sepahijala into a Child Marriage-Free District.

This invitation reflects growing national interest in localized models of governance that have achieved tangible social change. Once counted among India's most child marriage-prone districts, especially in its rural belts, Sepahijala's dramatic turnaround is now being viewed as a replicable template for the rest of the country.

At the heart of this transformation was a multi-stakeholder approach led by the district administration, involving civil society, panchayats, local influencers, schools, and frontline workers. 
The District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) played a central role in enforcing laws, sensitizing families, and ensuring that every case of child marriage was preemptively addressed or swiftly responded to.
“Mission Sankalp” combined community engagement, legal enforcement, and strategic communication to uproot deep-seated social norms. 

Through door-to-door campaigns, public pledges, adolescent group formations, and helpline activations, the campaign instilled a cultural shift—replacing silence with awareness, and apathy with action.
Sepahijala’s story underscores how effective governance and community partnership can challenge centuries-old practices. The district’s recognition at a national forum sends a strong message: India’s fight against child marriage can be won at the grassroots, one district at a time.