In a noteworthy step towards women empowerment, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a proposal to raise the legal marriage age for women from 18 to 21 years, the same as men. This clearance comes over a year after the plan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address in 2020. The proposal was recommended by a task force set by the government to examine women-related matters pertaining to the age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate), improvement of nutritional levels, among others.

In a noteworthy step towards women empowerment, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a proposal to raise the legal marriage age for women from 18 to 21 years, the same as men. This clearance comes over a year after the plan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address in 2020. The proposal was recommended by a task force set by the government to examine women-related matters pertaining to the age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate), improvement of nutritional levels, among others.