Where education still moves the needle: marriage, not family size

India has implemented multiple strategies to address early marriage and high fertility, primarily through two policy approaches. The first approach has focused on increasing girls’ participation in education. Initiatives such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (2001) targeted universal elementary education, while the Right to Education Act (2009) established schooling as a fundamental right for all children aged 6 to 14. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme provided nutritional incentives to encourage school attendance. More recent programmes, including Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, and West Bengal’s Kanyashree Prakalpa, have further promoted girls’ education and delayed marriage.