Odisha Doubles Money To Defer Marriages Among Tribal Girls

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has increased the monetary incentive for ‘late marriage’ to Rs 20,000 to curb child marriages in tribal communities.

The incentive will be given only to girls belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha.

The ST and SC Development Department will provide the money under the Odisha PVTG Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme (OPELIP).

“The incentive was started with an amount of Rs 2,000 in 2018-19. It was hiked to Rs 10,000 in 2020 and doubled to Rs 20,000 this year based on the positive outcome,” OPELIP Director P Arthanari was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.

Arthanari said village development committees will be tasked with identifying 180 PVTG girls in their respective areas who have married after the age of 18.

Next, the village sarpanch will verify a girl’s credentials and give her an age certificate. The OPELIP will then transfer Rs 20,000 to their bank accounts this year.