Mumbai, April 21 (NationPress) - The Maharashtra Department of Women and Child Development announced on Tuesday that a comprehensive set of preventive actions taken during the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya successfully resulted in the prevention of 13 child marriages throughout the state.

Under the leadership of Meghna Bordikar, the Minister of State for Women and Child Development in Maharashtra, the department established special online coordination and guidance systems to facilitate prompt action and oversight.

Recognizing Akshaya Tritiya as a highly revered day in the Hindu calendar, often associated with a surge in weddings and mass marriage events, the department heightened its vigilance in anticipation of potential increases in child marriage cases.

To proactively tackle this issue, an online review meeting was organized, chaired by Bordikar and attended by senior officials, including the department's Secretary, the Commissioner, District Collectors, and Superintendents of Police. During this meeting, all agencies were instructed to remain vigilant and implement strict measures to prevent any occurrences of child marriage.

According to officials, a widespread awareness initiative was executed at various levels—district, taluka, and village—across Maharashtra. Through District Child Protection Units, the Child Helpline 1098, Anganwadi workers, Village Child Protection Committees, and numerous organizations dedicated to child welfare, the public was educated about the detrimental effects of child marriage.

The campaign featured a variety of outreach efforts, such as kirtans, Bhagwat recitations, street plays, awareness rallies, and the distribution of posters and stickers. Authorities also motivated families to pledge against child marriage to promote broader community involvement.

As a deterrent strategy, the administration warned that criminal charges could be pressed within 24 hours against marriage hall operators, priests, musical groups, and relatives participating in the facilitation of child marriages.

Officials reported that these collaborative efforts led to the prevention of 13 child marriages across various districts, including one in Raigad, five in Ahilyanagar, one in Buldhana, two in Yavatmal, one in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, two in Dharashiv, and one in Parbhani.

Authorities hailed the outcome as a demonstration of effective inter-departmental collaboration and proactive governance.

“These united efforts have produced favorable results, successfully averting 13 child marriages that were set to occur on the day of Akshaya Tritiya,” officials stated, highlighting a case reported from Yavatmal district.

Discussing the initiative, Minister Bordikar remarked, “This effective and coordinated action by the Department of Women and Child Development sends a strong message to society about the evils of child marriage.”

She also noted that similar campaigns would be conducted with even greater efficacy in the future to eradicate this practice.