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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 998
ANSWERED ON 24.07.2026
PROHIBITION OF CHILD MARRIAGE ACT, 2006
998. Dr. Mohammad Jawed:
Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether child marriage continues to be reported from several parts of the country despite the
enforcement of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, if so, the details thereof;
(b) the number of reported cases of child marriage, along with the number of prosecutions and
convictions during the last five years, State/UT-wise;
(c) the details of the schemes, awareness campaigns and community-based interventions being
implemented by the Government to prevent child marriage and to ensure girls remain in
school; and
(d) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the socio-economic factors
contributing to child marriage, if so, the details of the corrective measures being taken to
achieve the elimination of child marriage in line with Sustainable Development Goal
5.3?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)
(a) to (d): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under Ministry of Home Affairs compiles
and publishes data on cases of child marriage registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage
Act (PCMA), 2006 in its annual publication Crime in India. The report is available up to the year
2024, as per the information available with NCRB, the number of cases chargesheeted, cases
convicted, persons arrested, persons chargesheeted and persons convicted under the PCMA during
the last five years in the country, State/UT-wise details is at Annexure.The Government of India has enacted ‘The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006’ (PCMA) to
prevent and curb child marriages and to take punitive action against those associated with the
solemnisation of child marriages. Section 16 of the PCMA authorises the State Government to
appoint for the whole State, or such part thereof as may be specified, an officer or officers to be
known as the 'Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPO)' having jurisdiction over the area or
areas specified in the notification. This section also specifies the functions to be discharged by
CMPOs, which include preventing solemnisation of child marriages by taking such action as they
may deem fit; to collect evidence for the effective prosecution of persons contravening the
provisions of the Act; to advise the individuals or counsel the residents of the locality not to indulge
in promoting, helping, aiding or allowing the solemnisation of child marriages; to create awareness
about the ill effects of child marriages; and to sensitize the community on the issue of child
marriages. All these authorities function under the direct administrative control and supervision of
respective State Governments and UT Administrations.
Further, to strengthen implementation of the Act and accelerate progress towards elimination of
child marriage in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3, the Government launched a
national campaign ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat on 27th November 2024, with the objective of making
India child-marriage-free. It is one of the most important imperatives to promote education,
skilling, enterprise and entrepreneurship among girls and women to realise the vision of a ‘Viksit
Bharat’ through ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ approach. The campaign aims to
create awareness for prevention of child marriage, enhance involvement of parents, families, and
communities, strengthen the role and capacity of CMPOs, encourage timely reporting of child
marriage cases and identify adolescent girls who are school dropouts or at risk of child marriage
to ensure their education, skilling and empowerment.
To commemorate the success of the campaign and further intensify efforts, a 100 Days Special
Campaign under Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat was launched on 4th December 2025 to mobilise all
stakeholders in a structured and time-bound manner. The 100 Days Special Campaign focused on
targeted outreach to institutions, community leaders and service provider, along with mandatory
uploading of details of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) on the BVMB Portal.
The campaign followed a spell-wise thematic implementation plan. Spell–I (27th November, 2025
to 31st December, 2025) focused on sensitisation activities in schools, colleges and universities
through debates, essay competitions and pledge ceremonies. Spell–II (1st January, 2026 to 31st
January, 2026) focused on engagement with religious institutions and marriage-related service
providers, including temples, mosques, caterers, tent houses and DJs, to discourage child marriage
and display IEC materials. Spell–III (1st February, 2026 to 8th March, 2026) focused on
mobilisation of Gram Panchayats and Municipal Wards for passing resolutions declaring their
jurisdictions as child marriage free.
A dedicated digital platform, the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat portal
(https://stopchildmarriage.wcd.gov.in), facilitates reporting of child marriage incidents,dissemination of information, and registration of pledges. Citizens, institutions, and public
representatives can take the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat pledge on the dedicated portal as well as
through the MyGov portal, promoting wide participation. Awareness programmes have reached
over 12.2 crore citizens, and more than 42 lakh pledges against child marriage have been registered
on the portal, reflecting strong community engagement and active participation across the country.
The BVMB portal serves as a centralised repository of more than 68,900 CMPOs across States
and Union Territories. This provides citizens with an efficient reporting mechanism, where early
reporting enables timely intervention to prevent child marriages.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme was launched on 22nd January 2015 to help address
Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of girls and women over a life cycle
continuum. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme has transformed from a policy initiative into
a national movement by mobilizing various stakeholders, including government agencies,
communities, media, civil society and the public at large. This movement aims not only to address
immediate concerns related to sex ratio and gender-based discrimination but also to foster a
cultural shift towards valuing the girl child and ensuring her rights and opportunities.
The BBBP scheme focuses on creating mindset and behavioural changes towards the girl child by
informing, influencing, motivating, engaging and empowering various stakeholders. To address
this, Ministry has developed and circulated to all States and UTs, an operational manual which
inter-alia includes a thematic calendar for suggested convergence activities at district level with
month wise specific themes for holistic development of the Girl Child and to ensure year-round
engagement of girls, their families and communities.
Further, preventing child marriage is a critical mandate under the Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2015, wherein a child at imminent risk of marriage before attaining
the legal age is defined as a “child in need of care and protection.” The Child Welfare Committees
(CWCs), empowered under Sections 27–30 of the Act, are entrusted to take decisions in the best
interest of such children, ensuring their safety, dignity, and well-being. The Ministry of Women
and Child Development, through its Centrally Sponsored Scheme Mission Vatsalya, supports both
institutional and non-institutional care services, including sponsorship, foster care, and after care,
to safeguard vulnerable children. Emergency outreach is further strengthened through the 24x7
Child Helpline (1098), integrated with ERSS-112, to provide immediate assistance in cases of
child marriage risk. While the Ministry provides policy and programmatic support, the
responsibility to prohibit and prevent child marriages lies primarily with the respective State and
Union Territory governments, as ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the
Constitution, making them competent to act against such offences under existing laws.
*****Annexure
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 998 FOR ANSWER ON 24.07.2026 REGARDING
‘PROHIBITION OF CHILD MARRIAGE ACT, 2006’
State/UT-wise Cases Registered (CR), Cases Chargesheeted (CCS), Cases Convicted
(CON), Persons Arrested (PAR), Persons Chargesheeted (PCS) and Persons Convicted
(PCV) under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act during 2020-2021
2020 2021
SL State/UT
CR CCS CON PAR PCS PCV CR CCS CON PAR PCS PCV
1 Andhra Pradesh 32 8 0 23 28 0 19 10 0 18 32 0
2 Arunachal Pradesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Assam 138 67 0 200 86 0 155 93 0 266 128 0
4 Bihar 5 6 0 9 9 0 11 7 0 11 15 0
5 Chhattisgarh 1 1 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Goa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Gujarat 15 15 0 66 80 0 12 12 0 37 57 0
8 Haryana 33 24 0 63 61 0 33 27 0 67 51 0
9 Himachal Pradesh 5 4 0 20 26 0 5 4 0 13 13 0
10 Jharkhand 3 2 1 6 6 5 4 2 0 3 3 0
11 Karnataka 184 103 0 273 267 0 273 237 3 544 536 3
12 Kerala 8 5 0 20 19 0 12 9 0 32 29 0
13 Madhya Pradesh 5 6 1 11 16 1 4 4 0 5 11 0
14 Maharashtra 50 32 0 88 111 0 82 72 0 142 303 0
15 Manipur 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0
16 Meghalaya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 Mizoram 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 Nagaland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 Odisha 24 32 0 20 38 0 64 54 0 51 77 0
20 Punjab 13 4 1 21 6 1 8 6 0 13 17 0
21 Rajasthan 3 3 0 4 4 0 11 9 0 27 31 0
22 Sikkim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23 Tamil Nadu 77 65 0 267 173 0 169 68 0 451 191 0
24 Telangana 60 35 2 85 104 9 57 65 7 118 153 16
25 Tripura 4 2 0 2 3 0 1 3 0 0 6 0
26 Uttar Pradesh 12 11 1 24 29 3 6 4 0 13 16 0
27 Uttarakhand 9 9 0 9 9 0 12 11 0 23 45 0
28 West Bengal 98 67 0 87 77 0 105 109 0 141 145 0
TOTAL
779 501 6 1298 1162 19 1045 806 10 1977 1859 19
STATE(S)
29 A&N Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30 Chandigarh 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D&N Haveli and
31 0 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Daman & Diu32 Delhi 4 3 0 7 5 0 2 1 0 12 12 0
33 Jammu & Kashmir 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 4 4 0
34 Ladakh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
35 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 Puducherry 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0
TOTAL UT(S) 6 4 0 12 8 0 5 3 0 17 17 0
TOTAL (ALL
785 505 6 1310 1170 19 1050 809 10 1994 1876 19
INDIA)State/UT-wise Cases Registered (CR), Cases Chargesheeted (CCS), Cases Convicted (CON),
Persons Arrested (PAR), Persons Chargesheeted (PCS) and Persons Convicted (PCV) under
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act during 2022-2024
2022 2023 2024
S
State/UT CC CO PA PC PC CC CO PA PC PC CC CO PA PC PC
L CR CR CR
S N R S V S N R S V S N R S V
Andhra
1 26 19 0 78 66 0 45 26 0 25 111 0 21 19 1 18 57 4
Pradesh
Arunachal
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pradesh
526 508 571 575
3 Assam 163 128 0 316 224 0 94 98 471 300 191 589 395 199
7 9 4 3
4 Bihar 13 14 0 28 26 0 13 8 1 17 14 1 22 11 0 27 28 0
Chhattisgar
5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 44 44 0
h
6 Goa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Gujarat 9 9 0 25 40 0 8 8 0 38 42 0 9 9 1 21 43 5
8 Haryana 37 23 3 79 63 5 28 20 1 55 51 1 28 19 1 67 62 2
Himachal
9 4 3 0 3 13 0 1 0 1 2 0 4 2 1 0 0 2 0
Pradesh
10 Jharkhand 5 2 0 2 2 0 5 5 0 15 15 0 5 2 0 9 9 0
11 Karnataka 215 173 0 510 502 0 143 200 2 332 484 3 152 128 3 252 405 6
12 Kerala 6 6 0 10 12 0 4 4 0 1 12 0 8 8 0 25 36 0
Madhya
13 7 6 0 21 24 0 4 5 0 3 16 0 9 9 1 21 51 2
Pradesh
Maharashtr
14 99 89 0 179 355 0 93 86 0 57 300 0 72 61 1 77 187 2
a
15 Manipur 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 Meghalaya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 3 0
17 Mizoram 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 Nagaland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 Odisha 46 40 2 48 91 2 57 53 0 52 115 0 35 19 0 30 37 0
20 Punjab 4 3 0 9 7 0 11 5 1 27 6 1 7 9 0 11 15 0
21 Rajasthan 10 8 0 39 45 0 5 3 4 23 23 9 3 1 2 0 10 5
22 Sikkim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tamil
23 155 108 1 363 249 1 174 147 0 424 316 0 408 267 2 920 593 3
Nadu
24 Telangana 53 47 6 7 103 15 33 30 2 19 69 2 83 83 0 47 210 0
25 Tripura 2 2 0 0 3 0 2 1 0 0 3 0 3 2 0 0 2 0
Uttar
26 17 15 1 48 61 1 15 13 0 61 73 0 7 7 0 37 37 0
Pradesh
Uttarakhan
27 6 6 0 2 6 0 5 1 1 6 2 7 8 4 0 14 18 0
dWest
28 121 99 6 209 197 6 118 102 0 183 292 0 132 117 5 123 159 5
Bengal
TOTAL 197 208 603 580 705 769 149 108 233 240
999 800 19 30 107 126 208 233
STATE(S) 6 9 3 6 5 7 0 1 5 3
A&N
29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Islands
30 Chandigarh 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D&N
Haveli and
31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Daman &
Diu
32 Delhi 1 0 0 9 0 0 1 1 0 4 1 0 4 4 1 5 6 1
Jammu &
33 2 1 0 7 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 2 2 0
Kashmir
34 Ladakh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lakshadwe
35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ep
36 Puducherry 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 12 12 0 1 1 0 18 18 0
TOTAL
3 2 1 16 9 1 5 3 0 16 13 0 9 6 1 25 26 1
UT(S)
TOTAL
100 199 209 603 580 707 771 149 108 236 242
(ALL 802 20 31 107 126 209 234
2 2 8 8 9 1 0 9 7 0 9
INDIA)
*****