Union Cabinet Passed Proposal To Raise Legal Age Of Marriage For Women From 18 to 21 years

It is apprehended that the amendment bill to modify the law has been approved in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet clears the push to raise the marriage age of women from 18 to 21 years on Wednesday. The legal age of marriage for men remains the same.

It is apprehended that the amendment bill to modify the law has been approved in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Wednesday’s clearance is based on recommendations submitted to Niti Aayog in December 2020 by the Centre’s task force, headed by Jaya Jaitly, which was constituted to examine “matters pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate), improvement of nutritional levels and related issues”.

According to data from NFHS 5, India attained a Total Fertility Rate of 2.0 for the first time, below the replacement level of TFR at 2.1, indicating that a population explosion in the coming years is unlikely. The data also revealed that child marriage has come down marginally from 27 per cent in 2015-16 to 23 per cent in 2019-21.

Jaya Jaitly, the former president of Samata Party, said the task force’s recommendation came “after extensive consultations with experts, and more importantly with young adults, especially young women as the decision affects them directly”.

The task force, set up in June 2020 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, also included Dr V K Paul of Niti Aayog and Secretaries of the WCD, Health and Education ministries and of the Legislative Department.

It has recommended that a comprehensive public awareness campaign be chalked out to encourage social acceptance of the decision. It has also sought access to schools and universities for girls, including transportation in the case of educational institutes in far-flung areas.

The committee has further recommended that sex education be formalised and introduced in the school curriculum. Training of women in polytechnic institutes, skills and business training and livelihood enhancement has also been recommended as means to ensure that an increase in marriageable age can be implemented.