The Himachal Pradesh government is considering raising the marriage age for women to 21. The announcement was made by state Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on November 23.
Sukhu also said that the government is looking into legal options to put the proposal into action. The initiative aims to bring the legal marriage age for women on par with men which is 21 years.
This change is intended to serve as a significant catalyst for achieving greater gender equality in society. The CM also said that women should get more time to make and concentrate on their careers.
This initiative will create opportunities for girls to pursue and successfully complete their education, professional training, and vocational courses.
Underscoring his commitment to female empowerment, the CM said that the government has planned to establish a committee to conduct an in-depth study of the proposed age increment.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to raise the minimum legal age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21 years, was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021.
The bill was tabled by Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani amid uproar as the Opposition demanded that it should be sent to the parliamentary standing committee. Later, the minister announced the government’s intention to send the bill to the standing committee and it was subsequently sent to the panel.
