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Priyanka Chaturvedi seeks more women MPs in panel to discuss marriage age bill
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the parliamentary panel examining the marriage age bill consists of only one female member, Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev.
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NEW DELHI: With only one woman in the committee to examine the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha lawmaker Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday sought more female representation in the panel.
In a letter to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Chaturvedi said: “I request you to ensure that there should be more representation and participation of women in the discussion around the bill that concerns the issues faced by women in India.” She added that the interest of all stakeholders should be noted, especially that of women.
The marriage age bill, which seeks to increase the age of legal marriage of women from 18 to 21 years, was introduced by Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani during the winter session of Parliament. After the introduction, the bill was sent for examination and scrutiny to a 31-member committee that consisted of only one woman—Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev.
According to the members’ list of the parliamentary standing committee, led by senior BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, available on the Rajya Sabha website, Sushmita Dev is the only woman among the 31 members.
TMC MP Sushmita Dev also sought inclusion of more female MPs in the parliamentary panel and wrote to the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports and senior BJP leader, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
“Under Rules 84(3) and 275 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), I wish to propose that any woman member of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be empowered to testify either in writing or in person before the Committee on this issue,” Dev wrote.
Dev said there were 29 women in the Rajya Sabha and 81 in the Lok Sabha. “I am sure all my Honourable female colleagues will have much to contribute in the discussion on this issue,” she said.
