Maharashtra forms panel to amend women policy issued in 2014

The Maharashtra Government has formed a Committee under the Chairmanship of the Commissioner, Women and Child Development, Pune to review the provisions of the Women Policy 2014 and make necessary amendments in it to make it more comprehensive.

The committee will comprise representatives of the Unicef and Tata Institute of Social Science and also members of organisations working for women. The committee will study the policies adopted for women by international organisations and other nations and also by various states in crafting its draft report.

The committee is expected to submit its draft report on February 28, 2021 to the state government. The government on Monday has issued notification for the same.

The Congress-NCP government in March 2014 had released the women policy, which was third after the first issued in 1994 and second in 1999, had focused on empowerment of women and also on achieving gender equality. The government proposes to bring out the March 2014 women policy by incorporating necessary changes suggested by the committee in order to make it more people centric.

The 2014 policy had given an option for women to use either the father's name or the husband's name in all the official documents, while the children can use either their mother's or father's name. If any woman faces problems in exercising the choice, she can complain to the concerned district collector. In case of children, they can now mention names of both the parents, or either of them in the documents.

Further, the policy ensured social status for women who were victims of abuse or rape. Such girls and women are being provided special counselling without their identity being revealed. The policy had proposed to provide vocational training to wives of prisoners and a monthly compensation to their parents. Women will be able to procure equipment for agriculture at concessional rates. They will also be given 100 per cent subsidy for drip irrigation.