Will eradicate child marriage in Assam by 2026, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

The Assam government's approach of taking legal action against child marriage led to an 81 per cent decline in such cases in 20 of its 35 districts between 2021-22 and 2023-24, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The chief minister also vowed to eradicate child marriage completely in Assam by 2026, according to an official release.

Assam's relentless campaign to weed out child marriage received commendation during the NDA chief ministers' conclave held here on Sunday, Sarma said.

At the conclave, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam came in for much appreciation from the Union ministers, chief ministers of other states, and Modi himself, for its "vigorous and relentless" efforts to eliminate child marriage, he said.

Modi asked the chief ministers of the NDA-ruled states to emulate the Assam model to eradicate the menace of child marriage, according to the release.

Modi also asked officials to visit Assam to get a first-hand experience of how the state has done away with child marriage, it said.

In the daylong conclave, the CMs showcased best practices adopted in their states in such areas as water conservation, grievance redressal, administrative frameworks, education, women empowerment, and sports.