Gujarat slipped in fight against child marriage during Narendra Modi's chief ministership: Census data

By Jag Jivan*
The new 2011 Census of India data on child marriage has opened yet another chapter about the failure of the Gujarat government’s save the girl child campaign during the chief ministership of Narendra Modi (2001-14). The data reveal that, compared to other states, Gujarat has one of the lowest percentage of women of all ages who may been forced to tie their nuptial knot before 8, yet, in 2011, at the time of Census data collection, it had one of the highest proportion of married females below 18.
The Census provides two separate pieces of data. One set is about women of all ages who got married before they had reached 18. In this category, nearly 20 per cent women of Gujarat were found to have got married before they were 18. This is significantly better than most states.
In fact, the 20 per cent figure of Gujarat is much better than the all-India average of 30 per cent, and worse than only three other states – Punjab 11 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 16 per cent, and Kerala 18 per cent. Rest of all the 19 major states were found to have a higher percentage of females who were married away before they reached 18.
The other set of data are about females who were found to be below the age of 18 on the day the Census of India officials carried out their door-to-survey. This set of data show that Gujarat has 4.2 per cent of married females who weren’t at the legal age of marriage, 18, which is higher than 12 other major states out of 19.
While the all-India average on this score is 3.7 per cent, the states which higher percentage of married females below 18 were – Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan (both 4.3 per cent), Assam 5.1 per cent, Bihar 5.8 per cent, Jharkhand 6.1 per cent, and West Bengal 7.8 per cent.

The data go to suggest that, though Gujarat may have of the lowest proportions of females who may have been married before 18, states other than Gujarat achieved a much better success rate in overcoming child marriage. Thus, the gap between women of all ages who were married before reaching 18 and the married females found to be below 18 in 2011 is found to have sharply moved in favour of the latter in a large number of states.
This is true of both rich and poor states of India. Thus, the “rich” and “progressive” Maharashtra has 28 per cent of females of all ages who were married away before reaching 18; but in 2011 only 1.7 per cent females in that state were found to be below 18. On the other hand, the “Bimaru” state of Madhya Pradesh had nearly 40 per cent of females of all ages who were married away before 18; but as of 2011, only 3.1 per cent of married females were found be less than 18 years of age.
If the Census data are any guide, the best performing state in curtailing child marriage are Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, where only 0.3 per cent of married females hadn’t reached the age of 18. This is followed by Punjab (0.5 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (0.9 per cent), Tamil Nadu (1.3 per cent), Maharashtra (1.7 per cent), Kerala (2.7 per cent), Odisha (2 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (3.1 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (3.7 per cent), Karnataka (3.8 per cent), and Andhra Pradesh (4 per cent).

---

*Freelance writer

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Fair prices, fresh produce: Vegetable market opens in Rajasthan tribal village

By Vikas Meshram* On 18 March 2026, the tribal village of Sajjangarh in southern Rajasthan witnessed the grand and dignified inauguration of a new vegetable market (mandi). Established through the tireless joint efforts of the Krushi Avam Adivasi Swaraj Sangathan (Bhilkuaan) and Vaagdhara, under the active leadership of the Gram Panchayat of Sajjangarh, the market is being hailed as a cornerstone for local self-governance, self-reliance, and a sustainable rural economy.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Ex-IAS Atanu Chakraborty and a tale of two different Gujarat vision documents

By Rajiv Shah The likely appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as HDFC Bank chairman interested me for several reasons, but above all because I have interacted with him closely during my more than 14 year stint in Gandhinagar for the “Times of India”. One of the few decent Gujarat cadre bureaucrats, Chakraborty, belonging to the 1985 IAS batch, at least till I covered Sachivalaya was surely above controversies. He loved to remain faceless, never desired publicity, was professional to the core, and never indulged in loose talk. When he neared retirement, which happened in April 2020, first there were rumours in Sachivalaya that he would be appointed SEBI chairman, and then there was talk he would be chairman (or was it CEO?) of Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City (a dream project of Narendra Modi as Gujarat chief minister, which as Prime Minister Modi wants to promote, come what may). But, for some strange reasons, and I don’t know why, none of this happened, despite the fact...

Weaponised bravery, institutionalised cowardice as the engine of authoritarianism

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The insidious politics of crony capitalism is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, aided by the reckless expansion of artificial intelligence and other technologies designed not to liberate but to dominate, domesticate, and dehumanise societies. Alongside this, an illiberal politics of cowardice is emerging—serving as an accomplice to dehumanisation amid growing imperialist wars and conflicts across the world. Death in distant lands no longer stirs conscience. The push-button culture of digital screens has transformed social media into a disconnected, individualised, Hobbesian space, where the puritan pursuit of self-interest is elevated as the essence of human existence.

Moon missions and manholes: Development's drumbeat drowns out deaths in sewers

By Vikas Meshram* We proudly narrate the story of our nation’s progress. On every platform, we speak of the success of Chandrayaan , Digital India , and our rapidly growing economy. But behind this radiant picture lies a darkness—the world of sanitation workers who descend into sewers, risking their lives. This darkness is not confined to the drains alone; it runs deep within the conscience of our society.

Witnessing Iran beyond propaganda: Truth, war, and the path beyond western paradigm

By Naile Manjarrés On June 23, 2025—marked as the 2nd of Tir, 1404, on the Persian calendar—a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced. This "night of the decree" shifted the trajectory of global affairs; although the world may appear unchanged on the surface, we have yet to fully grasp its impact.

Best left-handed cricket XI of all-time: Could it beat an all-time right-hander XI?

By Harsh Thakor* This is my all-time left-handers Test XI. It could arguably give an all-time right-handers XI a strong run for its money, boasting the likes of Garry Sobers, Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, and Adam Gilchrist.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Search This Blog