Union Budget 2020: Panel to review Indian women's marriage age: Nirmala Sitharaman

An amendment to the archaic Sharda Act is being proposed which sets the marriageable age of Indian women at the age of 18. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said on Saturday, while announcing the Union Budget 2020, that a panel is being set up to provide recommendations on the appropriate age for women to marry, as the country needs to lower its maternal mortality rate (MMR).

This will also study its implications for maternal health and the findings will be submitted within six months. The Sharda Act of 1929 was last amended in 1978, when the marriageable age for women was increased from 15 to 18 years and for men, it was set at 21 years. The Sarda Act was annulled in 2006 and replaced by the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006.

Studies have long proposed that a woman's legal age get married should be set at 20, as it gives them more opportunities to complete their graduation. Early marriage also affects the health of a girl as she is more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases and complications, particularly during childbirth.

"The age of marriage for women was raised to 18 in 1978 by amending the 1929 former Sarda Act. As India continues to progress, opportunities for women to pursue higher education and careers open up. A reduction in the maternal mortality rate is imperative". BY Nirmala Sitharaman

The task force will include members of the government think-tank Niti Aayog, women's ministry and child development, and ministries of health, law, and justice, among others, according to the available information. Sources said "consultations" will be carried out with all the involved stakeholders to cover all possible aspects of the topic.