Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday that women don’t have to change their names on their passports after marriage anymore.
The move means women who take their husband’s name after marriage don’t need to go through the long-winded process of changing it in their passports.
He added that women don't have to submit their marriage or divorce certificate for their passport. “It'll be their discretion to use father/mother's name in passport,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the announcement while speaking at the golden jubilee event of the Indian Merchant Chamber’s Ladies Wing.
He congratulated the IMC Ladies Wing on completing 50 years, adding that:
Those who took the IMC forward in the last 50 years, deserve our gratitude. Women’s economic status has risen, and so has their decision-making responsibilities. Wherever women got the right opportunities, they have gone ahead two steps... Indian women are shining everywhere.
The Prime Minister added that, “When women have money, they feel empowered.”
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