President Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil said that economic progress alone is not enough to eradicate the social evils in the country. After meeting five girls from Purulia District of West Bengal who resisted child marriage, the President said, the nation requires acts of courage against social evils for the progress on the social front.

An official statement said that the President appreciated the acts of girls and said their brave resistance against child marriage is a lesson for other girl children in the country. Expressing concern on child marriage, Mrs. Patil said, it leads to girls being trapped in the vicious cycle of poor health which causes early motherhood and child mortality.