Bhubaneswar, Feb 11 (PTI) With the incidents of divorce on the rise among young couples, the Odisha government Tuesday decided to open a premarital counselling centre in the state, an official said.

The decision in this regard was taken by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi following a suggestion by National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.

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The state will observe 2025 as "Divorce Prevention Year", Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said.

Rahatkar was on a two-day tour to Odisha and she attended the 32nd Foundation Day celebration of the Odisha State Commission for Women here.

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On the occasion, she met the CM at the state secretariat.

While accepting the NCW chairperson's suggestions, Majhi said that if proper advice regarding worldly life is given before marriage through the counselling centre, the rate of divorces will reduce.

The NCW chairperson also suggested that the state government conduct special village meetings (Gram Sabha) for women, take measures to prevent child marriage and violence against women, and initiate strict action against sexual harassment of women at work.

Rahatkar said that the NCW was committed to empowering women and strengthening gender justice in the state.

Odisha's Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is also in charge of the Women and Child Development (WCD) department, said that the state will observe 2025 as "Divorce Prevention Year".

“We hope that many such divorce issues could be resolved through the upcoming premarital counselling centres,” Parida said.

The DCM also said that the situation of women is fast changing in Odisha with the state government empowering them with the financial assistance scheme Subhadra Yojana.

She said the NCW chairperson has appreciated the women-centric schemes of the state government and discussed in detail the issues of child marriage, gender-based violence, cybercrime, human trafficking and sexual harassment in the workplace.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)