Union minister of women and child development Smriti Irani said on Monday that initiatives taken by her ministry had helped prevent 21 lakh minor girls from getting married
As of now, 18 years is the marriageable age for women in the country. The minister had in December 2021 introduced a bill seeking to raise the legal permissible age of girls to marry from 18 years to 21 years amid protests from the opposition. It was later referred to a committee for further discussion. In March it was given a three-month extension.
The minister also said her ministry had introduced various measures for women and children and said that 1098 helpline has helped protect around 18 lakh children from 2014 to 2021.
The minister was in Varanasi where she addressed the zonal and sub zonal meeting organised to review the achievements of her ministry over the past eight years.
Various helpline numbers are being run and these have helped about 70 lakh women in various ways,” she said.
“There was a time when women used to dream but they did not have the right and courage to speak. But now, women are fulfilling their dreams through various schemes of the government,” she said. She also interacted with women to know their views on various schemes.
Some girls also shared their dreams with the minister. Some said they wanted to be IAS officers, others wanted to be bank officers while some others said they wanted to become teachers.
These were girls who had lost their parents at a young age and were continuing their studies. Many of them had availed help through various schemes of the ministry.
