Agartala, Jul 30 (PTI) National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Thursday said the commission has set a target of eliminating child marriage across the country by 2030, with an interim goal of reducing the incidence by 10 per cent within this year.
Addressing a press conference here, Rahatkar said, “We have set a target to reduce child marriage to zero by 2030 across the nation and achieve a 10 per cent reduction by 2026 to meet the main target,” she said.
The national average of child marriage stands at 23.3 per cent, while West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura have among the highest rates, with over 40 per cent of women married before the age of 18, officials said.
Rahatkar, who arrived here on Tuesday, held a series of meetings and awareness programmes on girl trafficking, child marriage, the POSCO Act and women’s welfare.
“Today, we had a constructive discussion with Chief Secretary JK Sinha and Special Secretary of Social Education and Social Welfare Tapan Kumar Das at the state guest house on the initiatives taken by the state government for women’s welfare,” she said.
Describing Tripura as a border state vulnerable to girl trafficking, Rahatkar said she also met Border Security Force (BSF) officials to discuss measures for sensitising personnel to prevent trafficking across the international border.
She described child marriage as a serious concern and said government agencies were working relentlessly to address the issue in the state.
The NCW chairperson also lauded the work of women-led self-help groups (SHGs) in the state.
“I met Lakhpati Didis and members of SHGs in Udaipur in Gomati district on Wednesday and was impressed by their growing sustainable income generation,” she said.
On Tuesday, Rahatkar met Chief Minister Manik Saha and discussed issues related to women’s empowerment, welfare and safety. PTI PS MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.