TFP Bureau, Surajpur, September 19, 2025: In a landmark achievement for social reform, Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh has officially declared 75 of its village panchayats as “Child Marriage-Free Panchayats.” The announcement, made by the district administration on September 17 during the launch of the “Healthy Women, Empowered Families” campaign and the beginning of National Nutrition Month, marks a significant milestone in the fight against one of society’s oldest evils. For two consecutive years, no child marriage cases were reported in these panchayats, earning them official recognition and positioning Surajpur as a role model for the state and the nation.
The success is being credited to the tireless work of the Women and Child Development Department and its grassroots partners. Awareness campaigns were conducted across villages, mobilizing Anganwadi workers, panchayat representatives, teachers, and voluntary organizations. Through dialogues, community meetings, and regular awareness programs, the harmful consequences of child marriage were explained, while the importance of girls’ education and health was consistently emphasized. Parents increasingly began to choose opportunities for their daughters’ education and self-reliance rather than early marriage, leading to a shift in mindset across communities.
Health experts have underscored the direct link between child marriage and maternal-child health issues such as malnutrition, anemia, and maternal and infant mortality. Early marriage and pregnancy not only cut short a girl’s education but also place severe health risks on both mother and child. Surajpur’s achievement in preventing child marriages is therefore being viewed not just as a social reform, but also as a public health victory that will improve nutrition, delay childbearing, and strengthen family well-being in the long term.
The campaign has gained further momentum under the state’s Child Marriage-Free Chhattisgarh initiative, launched by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in March 2024 with UNICEF’s support. Surajpur’s recognition has already begun inspiring other districts, where efforts are underway to declare more panchayats and urban bodies child marriage-free. Districts with no recorded cases of child marriage in the past two years will also be awarded certificates in the coming months.
Social experts have hailed Surajpur’s success as proof that deeply entrenched practices can be overcome with community participation and administrative resolve. They note that the district’s achievement has gone beyond simply preventing child marriages—it has created pathways for improving education, protecting child rights, empowering women, and promoting gender equality.
The state government has set its sights on making Chhattisgarh a “Child Marriage-Free State” in the coming years. Strengthening monitoring mechanisms, encouraging higher enrollment of girls in schools, promoting awareness, and sustaining community participation are seen as the core pillars of this ambitious goal.
Surajpur’s journey shows that when laws and administrative measures are backed by collective societal will, real change is possible. The district has not only elevated Chhattisgarh’s reputation but has also sent a strong message across India—that child marriage, a harmful practice with generational consequences, can indeed be eradicated through determination, awareness, and united action.
