BHUBANESWAR: In a step towards making Odisha child marriage free by 2030, the State government has decided to reward whistle blowers and villages which have successfully curbed the practice.
The government has decided to provide incentives to individuals and organisations who have worked towards eradicating the menace from the society besides, child marriage free villages on January 24, which is observed as the National Girl Child Day.
The State government last year had launched a Strategy Action Plan to end the practice in all the districts. Tt has been taking up various measures in collaboration with community level organisations in districts where the child marriage rate is above the national average. Currently, child marriage prevalence in Odisha is 21.3 per cent (pc) against the national average of 26.8 pc.