Will re-consider the minimum age for marriage of our daughters says PM Modi

New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that a committee has been set up to reconsider the minimum age for marriage of our daughters.

Addressing the nation on Independence Day, the PM said that appropriate action will be taken after the committee submits its report.

This has been under the consideration of the Indian government for some time now. There has been a proposal to increase the minimum marriage age for women 18 to 21. One of the main reasons for this is because the maternal mortality rate and health of the young Indian mothers.

A study by the UNICEF shows that 27 per cent of the girls in India are married before their 18th birthday. Sine 1978, the legal age of marriage for women has been 18 and for men it is 21.

"The government of India, in a gazette notification issued on 4th June 2020 has set up a task force to examine the age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR, improvement of nutritional levels and related issues," the Ministry of Women and Child Development had said on June 26.

The committee would suggest ways on how to encourage higher education among women. It would also examine the impact of the marital age on the infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate.

Further, it would also come up with the relevant amendments in the existing laws. The committee is being assisted by the Niti Ayog.