Move to raise girl's marriage age causing pain to some: PM Narendra Modi

PRAYAGRAJ: "Everybody is seeing who is having problem with the move to raise the marriage age of girls from 18 to 21," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking a swipe at the opposition parties at an event at Prayagraj for women empowerment on Tuesday.
“We are trying to increase the age of marriage of girls to 21 years so that they can have time to study and progress. The country is taking this decision for its daughters. Everyone is seeing who is having problems with this,” he said, adding “women are happy with the government’s decision to raise the marriage age but this has caused pain to some."
Samajwadi Party MPs Shafiqur Rehman Barq and ST Hasan have recently made adverse comments on the Centre's move to increase the legal age of girls' marriage though party president Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from their statements.
“Prayagraj has been an iconic city to show the strength of women empowerment. Now, it is witness to a Kumbh of empowered women who have turned up at this event,” he said at the event attended by over 2.5 lakh women.
Lauding the state government on the law and order front, especially the steps taken for women’s security, Modi said that five years back, roads of UP had mafiaraj and criminals held sway in the government.
“The women of UP were the biggest sufferers of this state of affairs. The mothers and daughters were even unable to freely move around, including going to schools or colleges. They could not even report crimes at police stations or say anything as phone calls in favour of rapists and criminals used to ring immediately. However, the government of Yogi Adityanath has sent these criminals to their rightful place (jails),” the PM said.
“Out of the 30 lakhs houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) in the state, 25 lakhs have been registered in the name of women beneficiaries,” he said.
He also interacted with banking correspondent (BC)-sakhis, women self help groups preparing supplementary nutritious food manufacturing units, and beneficiaries of the Kanya Sumangala scheme.
“Now with the help of BC-sakhis, banks have reached villages. Those who have to withdraw money from direct benefit schemes now do not have to leave villages. For those who think that this is not a big task, I want to tell them that the Uttar Pradesh government has given responsibility for a transaction of Rs 75,000 crore to BC-sakhis,” he said.
“More the transactions in a village, more will be their income. Many of these BC-sakhis are those who did not have bank accounts but now they have the power of digital banking,” he said.
Criticising previous governments, he said now the pace of the state's development cannot be stopped by anyone. "Now, women have decided that they will not let previous governments come again. The security and honour given to women in the “double engine (BJP) government is unprecedented“, the prime minister said.
Formation of BJP's government in 2014 has put new “confidence and energy” in women, he said, adding that schemes like 'beti padhao, beti bachao' have succeeded in creating awareness and preventing sex-selective abortions.
Modi said over 2 crore women were benefited by the Matra Vandan Scheme, in which Rs 50,00 is given in accounts of pregnant women. To ensure the school dropout rate of girls decreases, he said separate toilets were constructed and sanitary pads distributed free of cost.
“We have opened accounts for girls under the Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme and interest rates were kept high. Crores of toilets were made under 'Swachh Bharat scheme', free gas connections were given under Ujjwala scheme and under Ayushman scheme free treatment facility up to Rs 5 lakh is being provided,” he said.
He lamented that for decades, house and property were considered as the right of men only. “In families where there was no property in the name of women for generations, they now have a house in their name. This is true women empowerment. In the village 'swamitva scheme' is underway in which property papers were given to house owners and women are being given priority,” he said. “The state government will do mapping of village houses and give property papers to women,” Modi said.
“This is our bid to provide equal rights to women just the way we did through schemes like Ujjwala and Swachh Bharat to construct toilets,” the PM said, highlighting the measures of the Centre and UP governments like triple talaq law, Kanya Sumangla Yojana and crackdown on criminals to help women.
Modi earlier paid tribute to doyen of Hindi literature Acharya Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi on his death anniversary.
The PM transferred Rs 1,000 crore to bank accounts of self help groups (SHGs) to benefit around 16 lakh women. He also released over Rs 20 crore to over 1 lakh beneficiaries of the 'Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme', which provides conditional cash transfer to a girl child at different stages of her life and also laid the foundation stone of 202 supplementary nutrition manufacturing units in 43 districts.