Coordinated Efforts Urged to Eradicate Child Marriage

Nabarangpur, 30th Oct 2025, Under the Mission Vatsalya scheme, the Nabarangpur District Administration organized a district-level program titled “A Day for Children” at the Ashok Mehta Conference Hall on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of District Collector Dr. Maheswar Swain.

The meeting was attended by SP (Superintendent of Police) Mr. Sandip Sampad Madkar, Additional District Magistrate Prakash Kumar Mishra, CDMO Dr. Santosh Panda, DWO Droupadi Kahar, and ADPHO Malay Tripathy, among others. Members of the District Child Protection Committee, District Task Force for Prevention of Child Marriage, Child Welfare Committee, DCPO Suresh Pattnaik, DSSWO Sudhanshu Patra, DIPRO Manoj Behera, DAO Chhota Ray Tudu, all Block CDPOs, and representatives from voluntary organizations like Piramal, Aava, and Women and Child Support Units also participated.

The District Collector emphasized that preventing child marriage requires coordinated efforts and heightened public awareness.

District-Level “A Day for Children” Program Held in Nabarangpur

During the meeting, officials decided that strict legal action will be taken against anyone found promoting or supporting child marriage. Discussions were also held on child marriage prevention and awareness, child labor rescue, child rights protection, and the functioning of the Task Force Committees.

District Coordinator Sarita Rani Pani presented the quarterly progress report. The administration has identified 30 child marriage–prone areas in the district. To achieve the goal of making Nabarangpur a “child marriage-free district,” it was decided to conduct village-level meetings and special drives involving officials, police, sarpanches (village heads), community leaders, and local committee members.

It was also resolved that students in all schools under the Education and Welfare Department will take an anti-child-marriage pledge.

According to the data shared in the meeting, from January to September 2025, a total of 346 child marriages were prevented in the district. Under the AXIKO program (2023–26), about 48,361 adolescents (boys and girls) have been engaged through Anganwadi Centers every Saturday in sessions focusing on livelihood, awareness, and education, as part of the district’s ongoing efforts to empower youth and end child marriage.