Balod: India’s First “Child Marriage-Free” District

Balod district of Chhattisgarh has become the first district in India to be officially declared child marriage-free.

All 436 gram panchayats and nine urban bodies in the district were awarded formal certificates by the state government.

Key Highlights

Aspect	Details
District	Balod, located in Chhattisgarh.
National Achievement	Became India’s first officially declared child marriage-free district.
Certification Coverage	All 436 gram panchayats and nine urban bodies received formal certificates.
State Role	Certificates were awarded by the Chhattisgarh state government.

Significance of the Achievement

Area	Importance
Social Reform	Marks an important community-level success against child marriage.
Local Governance	Shows the role of gram panchayats and urban bodies in social awareness and prevention.
Campaign Link	Considered significant in view of the ‘Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan’ and ‘Poshan Maah’ initiatives.
Community Certification	Campaign-based certification can encourage wider community participation in social reform.

PT Facts

Child Marriage: Prohibited under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
Balod: A district in Chhattisgarh.
Gram Panchayats: Village-level local self-government institutions.
Certification: Can support community-level social reform.

Source:

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