"1 Woman In Committee Of 31": MP Priyanka Chaturvedi On Marriage Age Bill
NDTV
"I am writing this letter to you as a concerned Member of Parliament," Priyanka Chaturvedi said in a letter on the committee that is looking into a bill for raising the marriage age of women
Maharashtra MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has raised concerns over the make-up of a committee that is looking into a bill for raising the legal age of marriage of women from 18 to 21. In a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, Ms Chaturvedi said that the committee of 31 MPs deliberating on a bill of huge significance for women has only one woman member -West Bengal MP Sushmita Dev. A 31 Member Parliamentary Standing Committee of which 30 are male MPs will decide the fate of women to decide if marriage age should be raised to 21. I have written to @VPSecretariat to kindly ensure a more woman inclusive panel to deliberate on a decision impacting India's women pic.twitter.com/Rs4e8sHx1E
"I am writing this letter to you as a concerned Member of Parliament. In the winter session of the parliament, a crucial bill impacting the lives of women across the country was introduced- The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill. This bill seeks to raise the legal age of marriage from 18 to 21 for women. After being introduced in the Lok Sabha it was sent to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. However, the committee has only one female Member of Parliament as a Member," Ms Chaturvedi said in the letter.
"This is disheartening to note that a bill so pertinent to women and the Indian society will be deliberated upon in a committee where the representation is highly skewed. Therefore, I request you to ensure that there should be more representation and participation of women in the discussion around bill that concerns the issues faced by women in India. It is of utmost importance that the interests of all stakeholders are taken into account and that voices of all, especially women are heard and understood by the committee," Ms Chaturvedi, who is also a Shiv Sena leader, said in the letter.
