Himachal Assembly passes Bill raising marriage age for women from 18 to 21

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill raising the marriage age for women from 18 to 21 years. The state assembly passed the prohibition of child marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment Bill 2024) seeking to raise the marriageable age of women by voice vote. Introducing the bill, Health and Women Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said that provision of Child Marriage Act 2006 was enacted to provide for prohibition of child marriages, adding it has become necessary to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls in order to provide gender equality and opportunities of obtaining higher education. Moreover, early pregnancies also have adverse effects on the health of the girls, the minister said. It is proposed to amend the Child Marriage Act 2006 and related acts in the state and increase the minimum age of marriage for girls to 21 years, he added.