- Why in news
- On 6 November 2026, a PIB backgrounder reviewed the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign ahead of its second anniversary on 27 November 2026. It reports that child marriage fell from 23.3 to 20.1 per cent between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6.
- What it is
- Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat is a national campaign of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to end child marriage. It joins the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 with community action and the girl-child focus of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. It works through Child Marriage Prohibition Officers and a citizen portal.
- Funding and focus districts
- MWCD has committed to fully fund the campaign. Priority goes to 257 high-burden districts, where prevalence is at or above the national average per NFHS-5.
- BVMB Portal
- The digital platform makes CMPO details public, allows reporting of child marriage, records awareness activities and hosts the pledge.
- CMPOs
- Section 16 of the PCMA empowers State Governments to appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers by gazette notification.
- Prevalence data
- Women aged 20-24 married before 18 fell from 23.3 per cent (NFHS-5) to 20.1 per cent (NFHS-6), a drop of 3.2 percentage points.
Don’t confuse with PCMA 2006 vs Sarda Act 1929: The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 only restrained child marriage. The PCMA 2006 replaced it and prohibits it, with relief for victims.
Don’t confuse with BVMB vs Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: BBBP (2015) addresses the child sex ratio and girls' empowerment, as part of Mission Shakti. BVMB (2024) targets child marriage specifically.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Child marriage harms girls' health, education and equality, so ending it supports SDG 5.3 and the 2030 goal.
- Combining law, a scheme and community action shifts the approach from punishment to prevention.
Problems
- Prevalence is falling unevenly across States, and social norms sustain the practice.
- Portal data quality and completeness need improvement, and CMPOs need to be dedicated and full-time.
Way forward
- Appoint dedicated full-time CMPOs and set up coordination and monitoring units, as the Supreme Court framework directs.
- Keep up girls' education and focused action in high-burden districts and at high-risk times such as Akshaya Tritiya.
Put in your answer
NFHS data on child marriage: Child marriage among women aged 20-24 fell from 23.3 per cent (NFHS-5) to 20.1 per cent (NFHS-6).
- 2016Mains GS2 · Q15Main provisions of National Child Policy and status of implementation
- 2015Mains GS4 · Q14Handling village elders' push to marry girls early and curb schooling
- 2025Mains GS2 · Q18NCPCR's role and policies for child rights challenges in the digital era
- 2003Prelims Q133Raman Magsaysay winner Sandeep Pandey's activism; option lists prevention of child marriages
- 1996Prelims Q74Social reformer who worked to eradicate child marriage and purdah
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Campaign on child marriage with NFHS-6 data (20.1% vs 23.3%); useful background, but campaigns rarely yield a distinct question.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.