According to sources, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years old on Wednesday, a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicated the plan was under review.
The notion was mentioned by Prime Minister Modi during his Independence Day speech last year.
“The health of daughters and sisters is a continual concern for this administration. To protect the daughters from starvation, they must be married at the appropriate age “stated the Prime Minister. Men must be 21 years old to marry, while women must be 18.
To carry out the proposal, the government is considering amending the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, the Special Marriage Act, and the Hindu Marriage Act.
The plan was backed by a NITI Aayog work team led by Jaya Jaitly. The task team, which was formed in June of last year, included top government experts VK Paul, senior officials from the Health Ministry, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and the Law Ministry.
The task panel highlighted that a woman must be at least 21 years old at the time of her first pregnancy in its recommendations, which were submitted in December.
