The Odisha Government has failed to effectively implement late marriage incentives aimed at checking early marriages in Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) despite earmarking a dedicated fund for the purpose, says Comptroller Auditor General of India, whose report on performance audit of micro project agencies (MPAs) was tabled in Odisha Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (March 31, 2026).
A scheme called ‘Late marriage incentive to PVTG households’ programme was introduced under Odisha PVTG Empowerment and Livelihood Improvement Programme (OPELIP) in December 2020. The objective was to create awareness regarding prevention of early marriage.
According to the CAG report, under the scheme, financial assistance ranging between ₹2,000 and ₹20,000 was to be paid to each girl marrying after 18 years of age, in the shape of an account payee cheque, in a community meeting in the presence of villagers to encourage other girls and their families to adopt a similar practice. Identified community resource persons were assigned to identify girls of PVTG families marrying after 18 years and inform the Village Development Committees (VDCs).
“Audit noticed that most of the MPAs had no details or information regarding child marriages taking place in the villages under their control despite the fact that the districts with a higher concentration of tribal communities had witnessed a larger number of child marriages. Malkangiri reported the highest cases with 39.30%, followed by Nabarangpur (37.90%), Mayurbhanj (35%), Koraput (34.70%) and Rayagada (34.40%), as per NFHS-4 (2015-16),” the report says.
