Odisha launches education scheme for children, 100-day campaign against early marriage

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Tuesday launched an education scheme for children in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and a 100-day campaign against child marriage under the Women and Child Development (WCD) department.

The initiatives were inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who also holds the WCD portfolio. Noting that women's empowerment is key to a developed Odisha, Parida said the state’s priority is to ensure a safe, equal and respectful environment for women and children.

The ‘Ame Padhiba Ama Bhasare’ (We will study in our own language) scheme will be implemented for five years to provide early education in mother tongues for children aged three to six years, she said. In the pilot phase, the programme will cover Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts, imparting education in tribal languages such as Munda, Kui, Saura, Kuvi, Gondi and Koya.

Training, education materials for Anganwadi workers

Anganwadi workers will be given language-specific training and educational materials, Parida added. She called for efforts to make the scheme popular on the lines of ‘Subhadra Yojana’, a financial assistance programme launched in 2024. Parida also launched a 100-day campaign against child marriage aimed at creating awareness, education and protection through community participation, youth leadership, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and institutional platforms.

The campaign will be launched on a pilot basis in Mayurbhanj and Malkangiri districts, with district collectors monitoring its implementation, she said.

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Child marriage-free state by 2030

According to officials, the state registered 8,159 child marriages between 2019 and February 2025. Tribal-majority Nabarangpur district reported the highest number of such cases at 1,347, followed by Ganjam (966), Koraput (636) and Mayurbhanj (594). While Odisha aims to become a child marriage-free state by 2030, around 11,000 villages have already discarded the practice. Ganjam has been recognised as a child marriage-free district since 2022, officials said.

Parida said the state has also launched a pilot programme for adolescent mother support and prevention of adolescent pregnancy in Mayurbhanj district in collaboration with UNICEF. The initiative will provide integrated support in health, nutrition, education, social protection, re-education and skill development and is expected to serve as a model for the state, she added.

On the occasion, the deputy chief minister inaugurated the new administrative building and allied facilities of the State Institute of Women and Children at Barpali to strengthen training and capacity building. She also inaugurated residential quarters for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) field officers in Boudh and Kandhamal districts.