Agartala, June 10: Tripura Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy said concerted efforts by the administration and multiple stakeholders enabled the state to prevent 9,982 child marriages during the 2025-26 financial year.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala, Roy stated that the number of child marriages stopped in the state has been rising steadily due to coordinated action involving district administrations, police, gram panchayats and child welfare agencies.
He said that while the state does not have precise figures on the number of child marriages that actually took place, stakeholders collectively succeeded in preventing 9,982 such cases during the financial year.
According to the minister, certain areas, particularly Sonamura subdivision in Sepahijala district and Kailashahar in Unakoti district, continue to remain vulnerable to the practice of child marriage. He said Child Welfare Committees, several non-governmental organisations and the Tripura Child Rights Commission are actively engaged in efforts aimed at curbing the social issue.
Roy also outlined progress made in strengthening Anganwadi infrastructure across the state. He said electricity connections have already been provided to more than 3,000 Anganwadi centres out of nearly 10,000 functioning in Tripura. The remaining centres are expected to receive power supply during the current financial year.
The minister further said that around 100 Anganwadi centres, which earlier used Bengali-medium learning materials, have been shifted to English-medium instruction following requests from parents and guardians. He noted that the move is expected to help children enrolled in these centres gain admission to Vidyajyoti Schools without facing language-related barriers.
Tripura remains among the states where the incidence of child marriage is higher than the national average, alongside Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana and West Bengal. Authorities and child welfare institutions continue to intensify efforts to address the issue through coordinated intervention and awareness initiatives.
