Union Cabinet approves proposal to raise the legal age of marriage of women from 18 to 21

Linking of voter ID card to Aadhaar card approved

New Delhi – The Union Cabinet has approved a minimum age of marriage of 21 years for brides and grooms. Apart from this, a Bill related to electoral reforms has also been passed. Once it is passed in Parliament, new voters will have more opportunities to register, including linking the voter ID card to the Aadhaar card. Both the Bills are likely to be introduced in this session of Parliament.

Union Cabinet clears proposal to raise the minimum age of women for marriage from 18 years to 21 yearshttps://t.co/tnocDCJKjC

— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) December 16, 2021

A task force headed by Jaya Jaitley was set up to consider the minimum age for marriage of young women. The 10-member task force had exchanged views with thinkers, jurists, and leaders of civic organisations in the country. The report was submitted to the Government in December last year. The task force has recommended amendments to 4 laws regarding raising the legal age of marriage to 21 years.

The voter ID card will be linked to Aadhaar card

The Election Commission has recommended linking ‘Voter Card’ with ‘Aadhaar Card’. So that the voter list can be made transparent and accurate. It will also exclude dummy voters or voters who register in the voter list at more than one location. The new Bill would fulfil the demand of the commission to allow migrant workers to vote in their cities of residence. The bill also provides for youth who have completed 18 years of age after 1st January to register their names in the electoral rolls four times a year. Currently, they get this opportunity only once a year.