Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat at Two: Child Marriage Falls to 20.1% in NFHS-6

The Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (BVMB) campaign completes two years on 27 November 2026, the date of its National Observance. A PIB backgrounder released on 6 November 2026 set out what the campaign has done and where child marriage stands. The share of women aged 20–24 who were married before 18 fell from 23.3% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 20.1% in NFHS-6 (2023-24), a drop of 3.2 percentage points.

The campaign

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) launched BVMB on 27 November 2024. Its goal is a child-marriage-free India by 2030, in line with SDG Target 5.3. The ministry funds it fully and gives priority to 257 high-burden districts, picked from NFHS-5 data as those at or above the national average. The BVMB Portal lists Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs), takes reports of child marriages and records pledges.

Two years in numbers

A 100-Day Intensive Awareness Campaign, launched on 4 December 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, ran from 27 November 2025 to 8 March 2026 in three spells: schools and colleges first, then faith leaders and marriage service providers, and finally Gram Panchayats and wards.

The legal base

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, known as the Sarda Act. Under it, a child is a male under 21 or a female under 18. Offences are cognizable and non-bailable, with rigorous imprisonment up to two years and/or a fine up to ₹1 lakh; women offenders cannot be jailed. Section 16 lets State Governments appoint CMPOs. In a judgment of 18 October 2024, the Supreme Court laid down a framework that stresses full-time CMPOs and prevention over punishment.

Link with BBBP

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, launched on 22 January 2015 and now part of Mission Shakti, works on the social attitudes behind early marriage.

State trends

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu saw the largest fall, of 10.1 percentage points, followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands (7.4), Assam (6.5), Bihar (6.2) and Tripura (6.1). Twenty-eight States and UTs are better than the national average.