Official age of marriage for women is now 21 years, Cabinet clear proposal
The minimum age for marriage for women will now be raised from 18 to 21 years after a proposal for the same has been cleared by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
As per reports, the Prime Minister said that the proposal still is under review. PM Narendra Modi had mentioned about the plans to extend the age during his Independence Day speech.
He said, “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.
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As per the current laws, the minimum age for legal marriage for men is 21 while for women, it is 18. The government has been looking to make changes for a long time. The changes that will be introduced henceforth will bring amendments in the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act, and the Hindu Marriage Act.
The proposal was openly backed by Jaya Jaitly, the head of Niti Aayog. Other members of the task forces were the senior officials from the Health ministry, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Law Ministry along with the top government expert VK Paul. The changes were suggested earlier last year and then an official document suggesting the present day recommendations was submitted in December. The task force stressed that a woman must be at least 21-years-old at the time of her first pregnancy.
