“To decide what the appropriate age of marriage should be for girls, discussions are underway. I have received many letters from conscientious daughters across the country asking for an early decision on the matter. They ask why the committee’s report hasn’t arrived yet. I assure all those daughters that the report will arrive very soon and as soon as that happens, the government will study it and work on its recommendations, “he said.
Committee led by Jaya jaitly putting the final touches on the report
The Prime Minister’s comments came during his speech at the launch of a commemorative coin to commemorate 75 years of the Food and Agriculture Organization, where he spoke about the government’s adoption of an “integrated and multidimensional approach” to address the problem of malnutrition. TOI learned that the committee headed by Jaya Jaitly is putting the final touches on the report. The working group formed in June was originally due to present its report by July 31. The committee was formed after an announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the Union budget for 2020-21.
The task force is mandated to examine issues relating to maternal age, the imperatives of reducing the maternal mortality rate, improving nutritional levels and related issues. It will also suggest appropriate legislation or amendments to existing laws and a detailed implementation plan with timelines for implementing these recommendations.
On August 15, in his speech from the Red Fort, the prime minister said that a decision would be made on “what should be the appropriate age of marriage for girls” as soon as a committee created to study the issue gave its report. . As of now, the legal age of marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. The age of marriage has long been a topic of debate with some civil society organizations that oppose the measure to increase the age of marriage.
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