Centre to revise minimum legal age of marriage for girls

NIRMAL YESODA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has revealed that the Central government will soon revise the minimum legal age of marriage for girls. Modi said that an appropriate decision in this regard will be taken after the government receives the report from the committee that has been set up to look into the issue.

Modi made these remarks while talking in a video conference after releasing a commemorative coin of Rs.75 denomination on the 75th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The Prime Minister also claimed that girls have surpassed boys in the college enrolment ratio for the first time in history, and it is due to the women empowerment measures taken by the Central government over the last six years.

“There is an important deliberation going on to decide what should be the ideal age of marriage for daughters. The government will soon take its decision after the submission of the report,” said Modi.

In India, the legal age for marriage is 18 for women, and 21 for men. During the last Independence Day speech Modi revealed about setting up a committee to revise the age for legal marriage.

The decision to revise the legal age of marriage for women is now receiving mixed responses. Most of the people claim that increasing the legal age of marriage for women will help them to stay self-dependent. However, sceptics claim that a woman who gets the right to vote at the age of 18, also has the right to select her partner.