Gujarat slipped in fight against child marriage during Modi's chief ministership

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).

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

46% own nothing, 1% own 18%: The truth about India’s land inequality

By Vikas Meshram * “Agriculture is the backbone of India” — this is what we have been hearing for generations. But there is a pain hollowing out this backbone from within: the unequal distribution of land. On one hand, news of farmer suicides, indebtedness, and rural migration keeps coming; on the other, agricultural land across the country continues to concentrate in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

US study links ultra-processed diets to preterm birth, sparks concern in India

By Jag Jivan A growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes has sparked fresh concern among public health experts, with Indian nutrition advocates warning of serious implications for the country’s already strained maternal health landscape.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Search This Blog