Taking serious note of the continued incidence of child marriages in parts of Ballari district, Deputy Commissioner Nagendra Prasad directed all departments to enforce the law strictly and adopt coordinated measures to curb the practice. He was speaking at a district-level progress review meeting of the Women and Child Development Department and the District Child Protection Unit, held at the new District Administration Building in Ballari on Tuesday.Mr. Prasad said that the persistence of child marriage was a matter of concern and amounted to a clear violation of the law. He stressed the need for intensive awareness campaigns in communities to highlight the penal consequences for those conducting or supporting such marriages.Zilla Panchayat CEO Mohammed Haris Sumair pointed out that cases were frequently reported from Choranoor, Bandri, Metriki, Vittalapur and Taranagar in Sandur taluk, and from Shidaginamola in Ballari taluk. He said the situation was worrisome, especially since several pregnant women in these areas were found to weigh barely 35 kg.Responding to the concerns, the Deputy Commissioner instructed officials to hold a meeting with all DSPs and ensure that villages, temples, churches, community halls, wedding venues and tent suppliers mandatorily inform the District Child Protection Unit about any marriage events. He said this would help detect and prevent underage marriages in time.Mr. Prasad directed that child helpline number 1098 be compulsorily added to the smart cards provided in residential schools, in addition to parents’ contact numbers, so that children unable to share sensitive information with their families can seek help independently. He said school authorities must immediately trace reasons for prolonged absenteeism among girl students, as such cases often coincide with child marriage attempts.Stating that no delay would be tolerated in booking cases, he instructed officials to register FIRs without fail whenever an incident is reported. He reminded district-level officers that they were designated child marriage prohibition officers and must work collaboratively.The Deputy Commissioner also emphasised improving SSLC results across the district. He said senior officials with strong academic backgrounds had been assigned to monitor specific schools and must visit them twice a month, review learning gaps and guide teachers accordingly. He directed the Women and Child Development Department to ensure timely disbursal of benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana to pregnant and lactating women, warning that delays would invite action.Senior Civil Judge and Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority Rajesh N. Hosamane, Additional Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar, Deputy Director of Women and Child Development Ramakrishna, District Child Protection Officer Subhadradevi, Child Welfare Committee Chairperson Triveni Pattar and representatives of various departments and NGOs were present.Published - December 09, 2025 06:55 pm IST