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On Gandhi Jayanti, Nitish vows to eliminate dowry, child marriage from state in 2 years

Nitish said 39 per cent weddings in Bihar were child marriages and 987 cases were registered deaths due to dowry in 2016.

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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 148th birth anniversary, in Patna on Monday.
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Following the "successful" enforcement of total prohibition, Bihar on Monday launched a mega-campaign to wipe out the twin evils of child marriage and dowry as tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 148th birth anniversary on October 2.

Launching the campaign at newly-built "Bapu Sabhagaar" at Patna's Samrat Ashok Convention Centre, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "Bihar is a land of knowledge, yet some social evils are prevalent here. There are laws against it. Once we spread awareness and reach out to people, these will be removed."

Citing stats, Nitish said 39 per cent weddings in Bihar were child marriages and 987 cases were registered deaths due to dowry in 2016. "Almost 10,000 cases of dowry related atrocities were registered in the state in 2016. In fact, Bihar is number 2 after Uttar Pradesh, in dowry related crimes in India. We want to bring about a change as was brought by similar social campaigns alcohol and other drugs," he said.

More than 5,000 girls, who were present on the occasion, also took a pledge to fight child marriage and dowry. The CM also launched a Mobile-based application and flagged off an awareness vehicle as a part of the campaign. The government departments and voluntary organisations will collaborate to take the campaign further.

The CM urged people to come out on roads on January 21, 2018, and form a human chain against the twin social evils. "I will request leaders to cut across party lines and participate in it," Nitish said, urging people to shun such weddings.

The government has set its eyes on a two-year time frame to eliminate dowry and child marriage. The state may also mull on fixing the responsibility on "Mukhiyas" or local Panchayat representatives, if any case of dowry or child marriage was reported in their area, as was suggested by deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi.

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