The efforts made by the Tripura government to curb the increasing child marriage is commendable. The Chief Minister of the region, Manik Saha, stated that the government is contemplating setting an order on pre-registration for all social marriages. This also highlights the alarming statistic from the state’s Social Education and Social Welfare Department which stated that Tripura comes third for child marriage, only preceded by West Bengal and Bihar.

In the statement made by CM Saha during the event in Gandhigram, West Tripura he also stated that ‘The government is considering preventing child marriage by implementing pre-marriage registration for social marriages. Necessary legal aspects will also be considered for this. Under this, it will be necessary to submit the birth certificate.’

Making a birth certificate a mandatory for proving eligibility is helpful to identifying underage individuals attempted to be married off.

Manik Saha went on to share that when a birth certificate is mandatory it becomes easier to verify the age of boys and girls. He narrated that, It has been long mandated that women must be at least 18 and men 21 for a social marriage to take place. The Chief Minster did request people to accept the legislative order and come along to raise awareness for child marriage.

CM Saha noted that recently a girl from the minority community in the state was awarded by the President for opposing childhood marriages. He said that everyone should be motivated by her story. During this event, Saha also shared some thoughts on the drug trade. It is of concern that a few well-known members of society are engaged in this business for selfish financial motives. He cautioned, ‘Many well-known people of the society are involved in the drug trade for money. But it should be clear that no one will be spared when they come under the grip of law.’

Read More: TCS Revises Bench Policy, Raising Job Security Concerns Among Employees