The 31-member parliamentary panel, which will review the Bill that seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women, has Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev as the only woman politician.

On December 21, the Union government had introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, which proposes to raise the minimum age for marriage for women to 21. Currently, the minimum of age of marriage in the country is 21 for men and 18 for women.

“The Standing Committee will be looking at the age barrier for women for marriage,” said Dev, according to India Today. “I am the only female member in the Standing Committee which would be looking into it, but I will try my best to ensure that the Chairman of the Committee listens to every voice across the board.”

Dev said that she wished there were more women MPs on the parliamentary committee, PTI reported.

Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule also said that there should have been more women on the panel, PTI reported. She also noted that the chairman of the committee has the power to invite more MPs for inclusive discussions.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, which will scrutinise the Bill to raise the legal age of marriage for women, falls under Rajya Sabha. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe will head the panel.

When the Bill was introduced in the Lower House, Opposition leaders, including Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy had raised their objections to it.

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