https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An All-Out War Against Child Marriage in Deogarh

The entire administration of Deogarh is on a mission mode to make the district child marriage free by the end of this year The administration has already declared 50% villages of the district child-marriage free Informants are being rewarded with Rs. 3000 for sharing details about any child marriage taking place in the district
Indian Masterminds Stories

The Collector of Deogarh, Odisha, is on a mission these days to make the district child-marriage free by the end of this year. To make the mission foolproof, he and his team have initiated broad-based stringent measures to protect children, specifically the girl child, from child marriage. Till now, they have been able to declare 50% villages of the district as child-marriage free.  

In an exclusive interview to Indian Masterminds, Deogarh District Collector Somesh Upadhyay, IAS, shared details about the initiatives taken to free Deogarh of this social evil.

TOWARDS CHILD-MARRIAGE FREE DEOGARH

It’s a bottom-up approach that the administration is taking, in which every gram panchayat is forming task forces at their level. It includes all the ward members and some prominent people of the villages, who prepare a register to record any event of marriage being detected. In the register, they record the birth dates of both the bride and the groom, and only after their approval, can the marriage take place.

The district and block level teams have started moving from panchayat to panchayat, holding committee meetings and instructing them on how to create and maintain the register. “We have already circulated a single format of maintaining the register, where they will maintain the marriage records,” Collector Somesh Upadhyay said.

AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

The administration is also using awareness campaigns to keep a check on child marriages. For instance, they have contacted tent houses as they play a very crucial role in marriages. They have been warned by the officials about the laws against child marriages and strictly informed that they will also be held liable if they are found to be providing any tent facilities to such marriages.

“Apart from this, we have also warned and informed all the other stakeholders of marriages, including the religious institutions and the priests. They are all very supportive towards this and have also pasted posters in their premises, wherein it is written that this is a child-marriage free zone,” Mr. Upadhyay said.

REWARD TO INFORMANTS

To protect the children from child marriage, the administration has also circulated the contact numbers of the collector, the district child protection unit, and the child helpline among all the gram panchayats through wall paintings and posters. People can call up directly on any of these numbers to complain about any child marriage that is taking place in the district.

“We have also started the reward system, whereby we give Rs. 3000 as a reward to an informant who shares details about any child marriage taking place. We keep the name of the informant confidential,” Mr. Upadhyay said.

VIRANGANA

Further, the administration is also going to start another initiative named ‘Virangana’, whereby, coaches will teach martial art to girls as self-defense training.

Also, another scheme named Advika will have adolescent girls as leaders of their respective gram panchayat villages. They will hold meetings and share their perspectives to the villagers and create awareness on the importance of putting an end to child marriage.  

On top of that, schools and colleges in the district are being visited by officials, including the DM, to talk to the students and motivate them to take up their dreams seriously.

“Generally, after children pass their 10th or 12th,the next higher education is far away from their home place, which becomes an excuse for their parents to tie them up in marriages,” Mr Upadhyay said.  

TRACKING APPLICATION

The administration has also planned to develop an app through which they will be able to track any girl who has not attended school for 7 consecutive days. Automatic alerts will be issued to the officials and they will start tracking the girl and find out if some kind of child marriage negotiation is going on.

Apart from this, they will felicitate those parents who have given importance to their girl child, at the district or block level. “Also, if funds permit, we are planning to draw a package which may include bags and other things for the girl child born in our institutions,” the officer said.

50% VILLAGES FREE

He further informed that, overall, they have declared 50% villages free from child marriage. Last year, they got around 49 calls and 49 girls were rescued. “Child marriage is stopped at different stages, first is negotiation, which is the best possible thing for everyone because there is no expenditure incurred by both the parties. In case things reach the point of marriage, the administration takes actions as per the laws. However, our primary concern is to rescue the children and rehabilitate them.”

COLLECTOR’S VISION BUILDING WORKSHOP

Recently, a collector’s vision building workshop was organised by the administration for all the sarpanches of the district. Explaining this step, Mr. Upadhyay said, “We are trying to make an impact by stressing how important this issue of child marriage is because some villagers often dismiss it as a minor thing. We want a secure future for our children, specially for the girls. We want Deogarh to be totally child-marriage free by the end of this year. And we want to do it with the support of the public, not by enforcement.”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
Lateral_entry_resized
No Reservation in Lateral Govt Job Entries, Centre Tells Rajya Sabha Citing Single-Post Rule
DelhiPolice
Top-Level Shake-Up in Delhi Police: 3 IPS Officers Reassigned Amid Security Concerns; Chahal Named DG, Civil Defence
mp
MP’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, ₹5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
nitish-kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Rs 44 Crore Six-Lane Pull-Up Ramp in Patna, Aims to Ease Traffic Congestion- Know More
CM yogi
UP: CM Yogi Inaugurates Two New Kalyan Mandaps in Gorakhpur, Emphasizes Accessible Celebration Spaces- Full Details Inside
CISF
National Security at Risk: Centre Opposes Supreme Court Ruling Curtailing IPS Deputation in CAPFs, Says IPS Presence is Crucial
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
Lateral_entry_resized
No Reservation in Lateral Govt Job Entries, Centre Tells Rajya Sabha Citing Single-Post Rule
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT