NITI Aayog joins forces with NGO to combat child marriage, boost education in 73 districts

NITI Aayog has partnered with NGO Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) to protect and empower children in vulnerable regions across India.

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The collaboration, aimed at tackling child marriage, child labour and child trafficking, targets 73 districts in 12 states, with an ambitious goal to declare 15,000 villages child marriage-free by the end of 2025.

The partnership will focus on the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which aims to uplift the most underdeveloped districts of the country. Through a statement of intent (SoI) signed here, the initiative will work to connect out-of-school children with education and skill development programmes, while also linking at-risk families to government welfare schemes. Additionally, the partnership will bolster child protection committees, train Aanganwadi workers and mobilise local communities to combat child exploitation.

AVA will establish Surakshit Bal Grams, a model community designed to eliminate child marriage and exploitation.

The initiative will also introduce movement and marriage registers at the panchayat level to monitor and prevent child marriage and trafficking.

AVA executive director Dhananjay Tingal said, “This collaboration is a significant step forward in empowering vulnerable communities. By 2025, we aim to make these blocks child marriage-free and ensure every child’s right to safety, education and dignity.”

The project will also benefit from the expertise of India Child Protection, an AVA associate that focuses on child sexual abuse and online exploitation.