PNS | Vijayawada
Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy has announced that no government scheme will be extended to those involved in marriages below 18 years of age.
Emphasising the need for robust actions to curb child marriages, Chief Secretary Reddy called for a comprehensive effort to raise awareness among citizens, particularly parents. He said that families facilitating child marriages would not benefit from any government assistance.
The Chief Secretary convened a meeting at the Secretariat on Friday to review an inter-departmental strategy in collaboration with officials from various departments to combat child marriage.
The Chief Secretary underscored the stringent enforcement of the AP Prohibition of Child Marriages Rules-2012 and 2023 as an important step in controlling child marriages in the State.
To ensure effective implementation, departments such as women and child welfare, SERP, education, and medical health have been directed to work in unison. In adherence to the new regulations, Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) will be designated at different levels, vested with specific duties and authority to prevent child marriages within their jurisdiction.
Chief Secretary Reddy said that any failure to prevent child marriages would result in consequences for these officers.
At the grass roots level, child marriage control monitoring committees are to be established in villages and wards, chaired by the Sarpanch or Ward Councillor.
These committees will include ward secretaries, village and ward revenue officers, ANMs, women police officers, Self Help Group members, local school teachers or headmasters, and representatives from local NGOs.
Chief Secretary Reddy stressed the neeed for stringent action, highlighting the accountability of village and ward secretaries should a child marriage occur in their areas.
The Chief Secretary mandated the formation of district-level committees, presided over by District Collectors, which will convene regularly to assess and oversee the implementation of the Child Marriage Control Act. This concerted effort seeks to firmly curb the prevalence of child marriages across the State.
