The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to raise the age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. On Independence Day 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he was considering raising the age of marriage. The law may be amended in the current session of Parliament. The decision was taken on the basis of a report submitted by a central task force set up to study the health and nutrition of women and children.
Currently, the age of marriage for women is 18 and for men it is 21. Following the Cabinet’s approval of a resolution raising the age of marriage, the government will amend the Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006 and introduce special laws and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, citing sources close to the Indian Express.