The Parliamentary Standing Committee set up to examine the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, has only one woman MP out of 31 members. The landmark bill seeks to raise the legal age of marriage from 18 to 21 and was introduced in the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session.
Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev, the only woman in the committee, said that there should have been a few more women in the panel to deliberate on the issues that directly affect women.
I wish there were more women MPs in the committee but having said that we will make sure that all interest groups are heard.Congress MP Sushmita Dev, as told to PTI
NCP MP Supriya Sule echoed the same sentiments and said that the chairman still has the power to invite others' opinion and hoped that more women MPs would be asked for inclusive discussions.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has penned a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, pointing out the discrepancy in female representation in the panel, urging him to constitute a more inclusive panel.
"It is of utmost importance that interests of all stakeholders are taken into account and that voices of all, especially women, are heard and understood by the committee," the letter reads.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee is led by BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Smriti Irani on 21 December and was then referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for detailed scrutiny, amidst loud protests by Opposition members.
As she introduced the amendment Bill, Irani said, “I would like to present that women equality in our country needs to be seen in (terms of) age of marriage. Invoking different marriage laws of different faiths, I rise to introduce the amendment bill.”
(With inputs from PTI.)
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