The task force constituted by the Narendra Modi government in 2020 to look into the proposal of increasing women’s marriageable age from 18 to 21 has submitted its report recommending the same.
The task force, led by former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly and NITI Aayog Member (Health) V.K. Paul, submitted its report to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) last month. This means that the task force has recommended making changes to statutes like the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to increase the definition of a child to 21 in case of girl children.
The Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed in 1929 to that fixed the age of marriage to 14 for women and 16 for men. The law was later amended to raise the age of marriage for women to 18 and for men to 21.
Speaking on the occasion of Independence Day last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a committee has been set up to look into raising the age of marriage for young women to prevent them from suffering from malnutrition. A team of 10 experts, led by former Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitley and a member of the NITI Aaayog, VK Paul, examined the issue of raising the age of marriage for women.
If the legal amendment to raise the age of marriage for women comes into force, the number of deaths due to malnutrition and maternal pregnancy will decrease. More and more women are joining colleges and skill development training centers. It is hoped that this legal amendment will help women gain economic strength.