Maharashtra is considering making a rule to print the dates of birth of the bride and groom on wedding invitation cards to help curb child marriage, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said on Wednesday.
She said the state aims to reduce the incidence of this illegal practice to less than 10 per cent over the next five years, in response to a question asked by BJP member Atul Bhatkhalkar in the legislative assembly.
The state of Maharashtra has written to the Rajasthan government to examine its practice of mentioning the date of birth of the bride and groom on wedding invitation cards. She said the Maharashtra government would examine the feasibility of adopting a similar mechanism in consultation with the departments of rural development, law and judiciary.
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Low rate of child marriage
The minister noted that the child marriage rate in Maharashtra declined from 21.9 per cent in the 2019-21 survey to 19.6 per cent in the 2023-24 survey, compared to the national rate of about 20.1 per cent in the last survey.
Authorities have prevented 1,434 child marriages and registered 136 FIRs during 2025-26 so far. It informed that a total of 1,495 child marriages were stopped in 2024-2025, while 1,253 cases were prevented and 108 FIRs were registered in 2023-2024.
As many as 930 child marriages were prevented and 81 FIRs were filed in 2022-23, while the corresponding figures were 831 in 2021-22, 519 in 2020-21, 240 in 2019-20 and 147 in 2018-19, when 10 FIRs were registered.
Tatkare stressed that “the increase in the number of child marriages being stopped should not be interpreted as an increase in child marriages. It indicates improved detection, reporting and intervention processes by government agencies.”
She said action is being taken not only against family members involved in child marriage, but also against those who deliberately facilitate such ceremonies, including priests, musicians and others involved in the event.
The minister informed the House that local task forces headed by collectors, village protection committees and taluka and gram panchayat level committees are actively working to curb child marriage and are being further strengthened.
She added that six areas have been identified for special concern, with migration emerging as a major factor behind child marriage, particularly in Beed and other Marathwada districts, where families migrate to work as sugarcane cutters.
To address the problem, the government plans to focus communication among migrant workers and expand facilities such as child care centers and residential homes to ensure that children stay in safe environments during periods of migration, Tatkare said.
During the discussion, Bhatkhalkar sought details of action taken against people involved in child marriage and questioned the timing of the state’s request to Rajasthan on its model for checking child marriage.
He also highlighted the seriousness of the problem in areas like Beed, Chhatrapati Sambaginagar and Parbhani, and sought district-level details of child marriages prevented through government interventions.
