Parliament panel to examine Bill proposing marriage age change on Wednesday

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The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports would examine the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill in its first meeting on April 13. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session. 

The committee chaired by the BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe in its first meeting will hear the members of the Jaya Jaitley committee, who will depose on Wednesday. The committee recently was given an extension by another three months to examine "Demand For Grants". The panel is now required to submit its report by June 24 this year.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev had said that it was not appropriate for such a Bill to be scrutinised in a committee where 30 out of 31 members are male members. The Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had also written to the Upper House Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, urging him to take a relook at the committee and induct more women members into the committee to ensure fair scrutiny.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposes to amend the existing law to bring parity at the minimum marriageable age for men and women. The Bill proposes raising the minimum age for marriage for women from 18 to 21. 

The Bill will also affect laws relating to the age of marriage -- `The Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872`; `The Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936`; `The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937`; `The Special Marriage Act, 1954`; `The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955`; and `The Foreign Marriage Act, 1969`, besides `The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956`; and `Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956`. 

The Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy (particularly the Right to Equality and Right against Exploitation) under the Constitution of India guarantee gender equality. The government has claimed that the Bill also aims to lower the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), besides improving nutrition levels as well as sex ratio at birth.