Child marriage cases rise in Odisha; higher than national average

Bhubaneswar(By Abhishek Mohanty): Child marriage cases are on the rise in Odisha, with the prevalence rate surpassing the national average.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida presented significant data on the issue in the State Legislative Assembly on Saturday.

According to the data, 12 districts in the state have reported particularly high rates of child marriage. The worst-affected districts include 
Nabarangpur – 39.4%, 
Nayagarh – 35.7%,
Koraput – 35.5%,
Rayagada – 33.2%,
Malkangiri – 32.4%,
Mayurbhanj – 31.3%,
Keonjhar – 29%,
Gajapati – 28.1%,
Balasore – 26.4%,
Boudh – 25.3% and
Angul – 25%.

The data highlights growing concern over early marriages in several tribal and rural districts.