The proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
New Delhi: The proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the plan is under review.
The decision is based on the recommendation of a four-member task force led by former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly. The other members in the panel include Dr. V.K. Paul, member (Health) NITI Aayog, secretaries of higher education, school education, health, women and child development, legislative department apart from academicians Najma Akhtar, Vasudha Kamat and Dipti Shah.
The proposal bill clearing to increase marriage age for women from 18 to 21 comes after a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the plan is under review during his Independence Day speech last year.
"This government is constantly concerned about the health of daughters and sisters. To save the daughters from malnutrition, it is necessary that they're married at the right age," the Prime Minister then said.
Following the Cabinet's approval, the Government will introduce an amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and consequently bring amendments to the Special Marriage Act and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, as quoted to IE.
Speaking about the recommendation, Ms. Jaitly said there were two main reasons that were focussed on.
"If we talk about gender equity and gender empowerment in every field, then we can't leave marriage out because this is a very odd message that girl can be fit to be married at 18 that cuts away her opportunity to go to college and the man has the opportunity to prepare himself for life and earning up to 21. But these days when girls are capable of doing so much and the main reason why they are married off is because they are not an income earning member of the family but why do we allow them that feeling," she told PTI.
"We should give them an opportunity to earn and be equal to a man and she can't become equal at 18 when man has 21 years to do that. Secondly, we took opinions from lots of people but the main people who were most attentive were stakeholders themselves. We conducted assessment calls with young people - universities, colleges and in rural areas where they are still at school or getting out of school and the unanimous opinion of stakeholders was the marriageable age to be 22 or 23. Across all religions everyone had the same opinion which was a very heartening thing," she said.
Ms. Jaitly said the task force submitted its recommendations to the PMO, Women and Child Development Ministry and NITI Aayog last December.
The decision is based on the recommendation of a four-member task force led by former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly. The other members in the panel include Dr. V.K. Paul, member (Health) NITI Aayog, secretaries of higher education, school education, health, women and child development, legislative department apart from academicians Najma Akhtar, Vasudha Kamat and Dipti Shah.
The proposal bill clearing to increase marriage age for women from 18 to 21 comes after a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the plan is under review during his Independence Day speech last year.
"This government is constantly concerned about the health of daughters and sisters. To save the daughters from malnutrition, it is necessary that they're married at the right age," the Prime Minister then said.
Following the Cabinet's approval, the Government will introduce an amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and consequently bring amendments to the Special Marriage Act and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, as quoted to IE.
Speaking about the recommendation, Ms. Jaitly said there were two main reasons that were focussed on.
"If we talk about gender equity and gender empowerment in every field, then we can't leave marriage out because this is a very odd message that girl can be fit to be married at 18 that cuts away her opportunity to go to college and the man has the opportunity to prepare himself for life and earning up to 21. But these days when girls are capable of doing so much and the main reason why they are married off is because they are not an income earning member of the family but why do we allow them that feeling," she told PTI.
"We should give them an opportunity to earn and be equal to a man and she can't become equal at 18 when man has 21 years to do that. Secondly, we took opinions from lots of people but the main people who were most attentive were stakeholders themselves. We conducted assessment calls with young people - universities, colleges and in rural areas where they are still at school or getting out of school and the unanimous opinion of stakeholders was the marriageable age to be 22 or 23. Across all religions everyone had the same opinion which was a very heartening thing," she said.
Ms. Jaitly said the task force submitted its recommendations to the PMO, Women and Child Development Ministry and NITI Aayog last December.