Union Minister and now author, Smriti Irani is guest at e-Adda today
CHANGING ROLES have marked Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani. From the lead character in a prime time TV series to a Lok Sabha candidate who wrested the Gandhi family bastion of Amethi in the 2019 elections, to a member of the Cabinet where she, most recently, piloted the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, Irani is now an author too.
Her book Lal Salaam, framed by the killing of 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada in April 2010, is the story of a courageous police officer and his quest for truth amidst a cloud of conflicting versions and challenges.
Irani will be the guest at The Indian Express e-Adda on Monday.
As five states go to the polls next month, Irani will be among the star campaigners for her party. Fluent in several languages — Hindi, English, Gujarati, Bengali and Marathi – she has emerged as one of the BJP’s most significant voices, both inside and outside Parliament.
As Women and Child Development Minister, Irani, who earlier held the HRD and I&B portfolios, has introduced several landmark Bills in Parliament, the most recent being the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The ministry also amended the Juvenile Justice Act, while the long-awaited Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021, is to be introduced in Parliament soon.
At the Express e-Adda, Irani will be in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express.
The Express Adda involves interactions with people at the centre of change, and has earlier featured, among others, CNN host Fareed Zakaria, actors Pankaj Tripathi and Manoj Bajpayee, CMD of Kotak Mahindra Bank Uday Kotak, writer and Morgan Stanley strategist Ruchir Sharma, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. During the pandemic, the Adda is being held virtually.
