Key Details
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has signed an MoU with Karnataka’s Department of Women and Child Development and the Karnataka State Commission for Women to implement Tere Mere Sapne – Koodi Balona.
Institution | Responsibility |
|---|---|
NCW | Provide standardised modules, train and certify master trainers, and monitor implementation |
Department of Women and Child Development | Operationalise the programme and provide counselling free of cost |
Karnataka State Commission for Women | Support outreach, coordination and review |
Santhwana Kendras | Deliver premarital communication and counselling services through 175 centres |
With Karnataka’s inclusion, NCW says it will mentor more than 283 Pre-Marital Communication Centres across 16 States and Union Territories.
Existing Centres Will Deliver a New Preventive Service
The initiative will operate through 175 Santhwana Kendras in Karnataka, expanding the role of an existing support network rather than creating 175 new standalone facilities.
Young people and prospective couples will receive free premarital counselling covering:
communication and emotional preparedness;
mutual respect and shared expectations;
financial planning; and
conflict management and resolution.
Counsellors have undergone a day-long training programme, while NCW will conduct Training of Trainers programmes and certify master trainers to support standardised delivery.
What Is Premarital Counselling?
Premarital counselling helps individuals or couples discuss expectations, finances, family responsibilities, decision-making and potential areas of conflict before marriage. It is preventive guidance, not an assessment of whether a couple should be permitted to marry.
Support Moves to an Earlier Stage
Institutional support for troubled marriages often begins after conflict has escalated into a complaint, legal dispute or request for protection. The initiative moves part of that intervention before marriage.
Counselling could help prospective couples discuss issues such as financial responsibilities, employment, living arrangements and the division of care and household work, while increasing awareness of respectful relationships and available support services.
The press note does not specify eligibility, appointment procedures or whether individuals can attend without their prospective partner. These operational details will determine how accessible the service is in practice.
Standardisation Must Retain Individual Support
Common training can establish a minimum counselling standard across 175 centres and encourage a gender-sensitive approach. Delivery will still need to accommodate different languages, backgrounds and individual circumstances, with referrals where legal, mental-health or protection support is required.
Confidentiality will also be important, particularly when counselling involves finances, family pressure or concerns about a prospective partner..
Policy Relevance
Preventive family support: The initiative introduces counselling before disputes require legal or protective intervention.
Use of existing infrastructure: Delivering the programme through Santhwana Kendras may allow faster expansion without creating a parallel institutional network.
Consistent service standards: NCW-led modules and trainer certification can provide a common foundation across centres.
Gender-sensitive delivery: Counselling should promote equal decision-making, financial agency and mutual responsibility rather than reinforce unequal marital expectations.
Referral pathways: Centres need clear connections with mental-health professionals, legal services, protection officers and emergency support.
Outcome measurement: Evaluation should examine service use, participant experience and counselling quality rather than assume that fewer formal complaints necessarily mean healthier relationships.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can premarital counselling remain voluntary, confidential and gender-sensitive while connecting people with specialised support when serious risks emerge?
Follow the Full Announcement Here: NCW press note announcing the Karnataka expansion of Tere Mere Sapne