New Delhi, 18 January (H.S.): NITI Aayog and the Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) have joined forces to focus on the most vulnerable regions of India and protect, empower, and educate children. This partnership aims to declare 15,000 villages in 104 blocks across the country as ‘Child Marriage Free’ within a year. The collaboration is aligned with the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, to transform the 112 most underdeveloped districts in India.
The two-year initiative will establish Bal Surakshit Grams as a safety net for vulnerable children in these districts and implement a comprehensive strategy to empower young girls and strengthen the education ecosystem. Movement and marriage registers will be established at the Panchayat level to prevent and monitor child marriage and trafficking. Additionally, vulnerable and out-of-school children will be connected to education and skill development opportunities, and at-risk individuals and families will be linked to existing government welfare schemes. AVA’s Just Rights for Children (JRC) network will also set up Surakshit Bal Gram- a flagship model to create communities free from child marriage and exploitation.
This network comprises over 200 civil society organizations working across 416 districts in 26 states to combat crimes against children. Executive Director of AVA, Dhananjay Tingal, expressed his pride and gratitude on this significant step towards empowering the most vulnerable sections of society.
Hindusthan Samachar
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