Simla/IBNS: The Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly has passed a bill to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years.

The bill, called Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Act, 2024, seeks to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

"It is proposed to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and other related Acts in their application to the State of Himachal Pradesh and increase the minimum age for marriage for girls to 21 years," it states.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, was enacted to provide for the prohibition of solemnisation of child marriages.

According to the bill, the minimum age of marriage for women was previously 18 while it was 21 for men.

The Himachal bill has sought to raise the minimum age of marriage for women to 21 to ensure gender equality while taking into account the fact that early marriage acts as a hindrance to women's progress in professional career and physical development.

"In today's world the women are progressing in every field. The early marriages, however, act as a hindrance not only in the progress of their career but also in their physical development. In order to provide for gender equality and opportunities of obtaining higher education, it has become necessary to increase the minimum age of marriage for the girls," the bill states.