Balod district of Chhattisgarh has created history in the Child Marriage Free India campaign. The district’s name is once again resonating across the country. Balod has become the country’s first child marriage-free district. Balod has emerged as a national example. Balod has played a significant role in fulfilling Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai’s pledge to make the entire state of Chhattisgarh child marriage-free by 2028-29.
In fact, Chhattisgarh has achieved a historic milestone in the “Child Marriage Free India” national campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 27, 2024. Balod district in Chhattisgarh has become the first district in the country to be officially declared a child marriage-free district. Certificates have been issued to all 436 gram panchayats and nine urban bodies in the district.
Balod becomes child marriage free district
Significantly, not a single case of child marriage has been reported in Balod in the past two years. This achievement was achieved after document verification and legal procedures were completed, making Balod a role model for the entire country. District Collector Divya Umesh Mishra said that this success is the result of the collective participation of the administration, public representatives, Anganwadi workers, and the local community. She thanked all the organizations that supported this campaign.
CM Vishnudev congratulated the district administration
Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai congratulated the Balod administration on this achievement. He stated that the Chhattisgarh government has made eradicating child marriage a top priority, and the goal is to declare the entire state child marriage-free by 2028-29. The Chief Minister described this as not just a government campaign but a pledge for social change. He stated that the process is being expedited in other districts, and certificates will soon be issued in areas where no child marriage cases have been reported in the past two years.
