Minimum age of marriage for women has been raised to 18 from 21 in Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh says that Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to step forward for gender equality and support higher education for women.  Women Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill 2024 in the State Assembly during its ongoing monsoon session.

The bill says: “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. Thus, 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”.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reported the Hindu that the Bill is the intention of the Congress Government to execute welfare to the women community. “We are the first State in the country to enact the legislation to increase the marriage age of girls to 21. The Congress has always been at the forefront to work towards the betterment of women,” CM Sukhu said.