Irani questions remark of RS member on marriage of women below 21 years

NCP leader Fauzia Khan said parents in villages said they don't want to keep their girls unmarried till the age of 18 or 21 years due to lack of security

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday questioned the remarks of a Rajya Sabha member that young women below 21 years want to get married as they have nothing to do, and hoped that the MP retracts her statement.

During the Question Hour in the Upper House of Parliament, NCP leader Fauzia Khan said when the issue of child marriage is discussed with parents in a village, they say they don't want to keep their girls unmarried till the age of 18 or 21 years due to lack of security.

Even the young girls want to get married, she said.

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Khan then asked how should it be ensured that girls are kept occupied in some productive work -- skill development, education and something -- which occupies their mind till they reach marriageable age.

To this, Women and Child Development Minister Irani said, "To say that women in the country marry because they are unoccupied, I think it is abnormal which needs to be corrected. And especially young girls who choose marriage because they have nothing to do. I hope the member retracts that position."

"However, in terms of safety and security, the government has successfully implemented a 'one-stop crisis centre programme' and over 700 such centres are currently operational in the country," she said.

An additional 300 centres have been announced in the Union Budget recently, she added. In collaboration with 30 women helplines in the country, seven million women have been provided safety and security especially when they have been victims of violence, she said and asserted that the government is committed to protect women, especially young girls.

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