Subject: GS-I (Social Issues) | GS-II (Governance)
News Context: Launched on November 27, 2024, by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), it aims for a 10% reduction in child marriage by 2026.
- The Strategy: BVMB uses a 4-P strategy: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Participation.
- Key Legal Provisions:
- PCMA 2006: Defines child marriage and makes it "voidable."
- BNS 2023 & POCSO: Sexual acts with a minor wife are now classified as rape, removing the previous "marital rape" exception for minors.
- Success Model: Balod district (Chhattisgarh) recently became the first child-marriage-free district in India.
- Wholistic Insight: Link this to SDG 5.3 (Eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage). The target of 2030 for a "Child Marriage Free India" aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
