Rudraprayag, Jan 31 (PTI) The marriage of four minor girls of Uchhola village in Jakholi tehsil of Rudraprayag district was prevented on Friday with the prompt intervention of the Child Development Department.

The marriage of the four girls aged 15-17 years was scheduled to take place next month.

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The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) brought into force in Uttarakhand just a few days ago sets 18 years as the marriageable age for girls.

The Child Development Department had received a complaint on the Child Helpline regarding the impending marriages of the minor girls.

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A Child Development Department team reached the village where the families of the girls lived and counselled them to prevent the marriages.

"We received information that the marriage of minor girls of three families of Uchhola village of this area is to take place next month. Our team reached Uchhola village where the family members of all three families were counselled.

"They were told about the ill-effects of child marriage and the legal provisions after which the family members agreed not to get them married until they became adults," District Programme Officer of Child Development Department of Rudraprayag, Akhilesh Mishra, said.

District Coordinator of Child Development Department, Deepika, who is leading the team, said for some time, cases of marriage of minor girls have been coming to light in Jakholi development block.

Child Helpline Rudraprayag had received a complaint a few days ago in which information was received about the marriage of minor girls by the family members in Buxir, Dangi, Khod, Bhunalgaon, Uchhola and Mathiyagaon under Ghanghasu Bangar area of Jakholi block.

On this sensitive issue, the district administration and the district programme officer contacted the concerned area school and took the details of the girls studying in the school of the villages mentioned.

"Based on this, our team reached Uchhola village on Friday where the marriage of four minor girls aged 15-17 years was scheduled for the next month and prevented it," she said.

Two of the girls aged 15 and 17 to be married off were from the same family, she said.

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