KOLKATA: Despite the West Bengal government’s schemes to prevent under-age marriages of girls, several districts in West Bengal recorded significant growth in cases of such weddings from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
The recent report of the Centre’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS) mentioned that among the districts which recorded growth in under-age marriages, East Midnapore, from where CM Mamata Banerjee had contested last year’s assembly polls, is among the top. The report mentioned growth in pregnancy of girls aged between 15 and 19 years.
The state launched Kanyashree scheme in 2013, which offers financial help for girls pursuing education. Later, another scheme Rupashree was launched to provide financial assistance for marriage. “The NHFS’s finding triggered a concern in several districts. We have issued separate directives for the districts which recorded growth in under-age marriages. The district magistrates have been asked to form teams to oversee the issue,” said a senior official of the state government.
The state government also expressed its concern over the issue of pregnancy of minor girls. “We have asked to carry out widespread awareness campaign,” said the official. According to state government’s record, a total of 75 lakh teenage girls have been brought under Kanyashree since it was launched. In 2021-22, around 22.8 lakh beneficiaries were given one-time annual aid of `1,000 each and 5.25 lakh girls were given Rs 25,000 each for higher studies.
Another official said the NFHS’s survey conducted in 2019-20 mentioned about a section of 24-year-old women who got married before 18. “It seems they got married before or shortly after the launching of Kanyashree. It appears the benefits of the scheme did not go down well when the girls got married when they were under-age,” he said.
