PM Modi believes that raising the marriage age for women will allow them to pursue a career

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that raising the age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years was based on the principle of equality and to allow more women to enter the workforce and pursue their professional goals.

Modi said that by raising the marriage age, "daughters can also make their career, they get more time, this is a very important step in this direction," while speaking virtually to the participants of the National Youth Festival in Puducherry.

He cited India's performance in the Olympics and Paralympics, as well as youth participation in the vaccination drive, as evidence of the youth's desire to win and sense of responsibility.

During the winter session of Parliament, the government introduced legislation to raise the marriage age for women from 18 to 21, bringing gender equality and ensuring that they have equal access to higher education, vocational training, and skill sets in order to enter the workforce and become 'atma nirbhars.'

During the same event, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of youth in the face of the Covid-19 crisis, stating that India is entering the "golden age of start-ups" and is becoming a global force in the unicorn system and digital payments due to its innovations.

Youth, according to the PM, are both a demographic dividend and a driver of development. He claimed that India's youth are writing the global prosperity code.