New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, the same as men. 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, The Indian Express reported quoting sources.
The clearance comes after the recommendations submitted to Niti Aayog in December 2020 by the Centre’s task force, headed by Jaya Jaitly. It was constituted to examine “matters pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate), improvement of nutritional levels and related issues”.
“I want to make clear that our reasoning behind the recommendation was never one of population control. Recent data released by NFHS 5 (National Family Health Survey) have already shown that the Total Fertility Rate is decreasing and the population is under control. The idea behind it (the recommendation) is the empowerment of women,” she told The Indian Express.
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