Modi backs raising girls' marriage age: 'Full time to study'

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (27) backed his government’s decision to raise the age of marriage of girls from 18 to 21 saying it will help them in making their careers.

Modi, who was in Mandi in the poll-bound northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to inaugurate a number of hydropower projects, said, “We have decided daughters will be allowed to marry at the same age sons are allowed to. With 21 years of age for marriage of daughters, they will get full time to study and will also be able to make their career.”

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A bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha or lower house of the Indian parliament in the recently concluded winter session to raise the women’s age of marriage to 21 years across all religions and it has been sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny.

Modi made his speech after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 11,000 crore (£1 billion) in Mandi district.

He laid the foundation stone of the Renukaji Dam project, lying pending for around three decades. Six states viz Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi were brought together by the Centre for making the project possible, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

The prime minister also laid the foundation stone of the Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project. The 210 MW project will be built at a cost of over Rs 1,800 crore (£179 million). It will generate over 750 million units of electricity per year. The modern and dependable grid support will prove beneficial to the surrounding states of the region as well.