World · India Bureau
West Bengal flags 60,000 underage institutional births in first half of 2026
The state government has announced a crackdown on child marriages, with senior officials warning of arrests and withdrawal of welfare benefits for families involved in such unions. The alarming data on underage deliveries has prompted authorities to intensify enforcement efforts.
LSN India ·
West Bengal recorded approximately 60,000 institutional deliveries involving girls under 18 years of age during the first six months of 2026, state officials disclosed, highlighting a persistent challenge in preventing child marriages across the region.
State leadership has vowed to intensify legal action against those involved in underage unions. Officials have indicated that arrests will be made in confirmed cases of child marriage, signaling a harder line on enforcement of existing laws that prohibit such practices.
Beyond criminal measures, the state government announced it will withdraw benefits under both state and central welfare schemes from families engaged in child marriages. This dual approach aims to create financial disincentives alongside legal consequences to discourage the practice.
The disclosure comes as West Bengal continues efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes while simultaneously addressing underlying social practices that contribute to early pregnancies. Health authorities have been monitoring institutional delivery figures as an indicator of maternal care access, though the prevalence of underage cases points to deeper issues around marriage age compliance and enforcement.
The initiative reflects growing state attention to implementing child protection laws more rigorously, even as public health infrastructure has expanded institutional delivery capacity across rural and urban areas.