Girls who marry only after 20 years of age to get Rs. 25,000 on completion of Grade 12

BY BIJAY KUMAR SAH,Dhalkebar, Sept. 11: Janaknandini Rural Municipality in Dhanusha district has announced financial support of Rs. 25,000 for girls who marry only after the age of 20 and passing the 12th grade. 

Janaknandini Rural Municipality Chairman Dipin Dev Yadav said that the decision was made to prevent child marriages and inspire girls to pursue higher education. He informed that the executive committee unanimously approved the decision to encourage daughters. 

"We believe such an initiative will help reduce the practices of early marriage and increase the number of girls pursuing higher education. Many girls here either marry young or drop out of school,” he said. “Marriages before the appropriate age result in incomplete education and health issues due to early pregnancies.”

He said the decision would be implemented from the current fiscal year. He said, “Although it might not solve the problem entirely, it will send a positive message about the importance of education and marrying only after the age of 20.”

 He informed that discussions would be held with all community stakeholders about controlling child marriages and increasing educational opportunities for girls.

According to the National Civil (Code) Act 2017, child marriage is a punishable offense. Those who marry before the age of 20 face automatic nullification of the marriage along with a legal penalty of three years in prison and a fine of Rs. 30,000. 

Rishikesh Yadav, head of the Education Department of Janaknandini Rural Municipality, has said that the campaign under the Child Marriage Reduction Project is expected to decrease child marriages and increase the number of girls achieving higher education. He said that only 60 per cent of girls who pass the SEE exam continue their education up to the 12th grade.

He said, “There are three community schools and one institutional school within the municipality that offer education up to the 10th grade. Each year, around 200 students appear for the SEE exam but the number of students enrolling in 11th and 12th grades is quite low.” He added that there were only two schools in the municipality offering education up to the 12th grade.

Local resident Binod Kumar Mandal said that the allowance would motivate girls for higher education. He suggested the rural municipality to establish a campus for higher education. He said, “There are no campuses in this area for higher education. One has to travel 30 kilometres to reach Janakpur. As a result, many girls stop their education after passing 10th grade and marry at a young age.” He emphasized the need to focus on skills and education to eliminate early marriages and also suggested efforts to free adolescents from the negative effects of mobile phone use.