Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Women Welfare / Development


50% of seats in local bodies for women

Thursday, 20 August 2009 05:44 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu - Karnataka 20.08.2009

50% of seats in local bodies for women

Special Correspondent

Special House session from September 8 to enact law

 

12 kg free rice for tribal people for Onam

More communities included in OBC category

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to reserve 50 per cent of seats in local self-government institutions for women.

Briefing the media after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said a law would be brought in on a priority basis for providing reservation for women. A special session of the Assembly would be convened from September 8 to 17 for enactment of legislations including the one on women’s reservation.

Oceanarium

Mr. Achuthanandan announced that a joint sector company would be formed for establishing an oceanarium complex and marine biological research centre at Puthuvypu near Kochi. The complex, to be set up with private participation, would be the first in the country.

He also announced that the government would provide 12 kg of rice free of charge to tribal people during Onam. Besides, all schoolchildren who were covered under the noon-meal scheme would get 5 kg of rice free during the festival. Free ration would be provided to the workers of the defunct Alappuzha port during Onam. They would also be given a purse of Rs.3,000 against Rs.2,500 paid last year. The workers of closed public sector units would get Rs.1,250. This was 25 per cent higher than the amount paid last year.

The Chief Minister said that the Pandaran, Dahni and Kachimemom communities would be included on the list of Other Backward Classes (OBC). A public sector company would be formed for the conservation and management of the Aralam farm in Kannur.

Replying to questions, Mr. Achuthanandan said that special secretary in his office N. Chandrasekhara Panicker had replaced S. Rajendran as his private secretary. The replacement was a routine procedure. (Mr. Rajendran was reportedly removed after the CPI(M) State secretariat discussed the Chief Minister’s complaints against him.)

He said the government had decided to provide 25 acres of land at Vytilla in Ernakulam for setting up a bus terminal. This was aimed at reducing traffic congestion. The Collector had been asked to submit a proposal on the bus terminal. The land belonged to the Agriculture Department. So, the department would be provided with suitable land elsewhere.

He said the proposal for development of Metro Rail in Kochi faced fresh hurdles. The Union Finance Ministry had objected to joint funding of the project by the State and Central governments.

Last Updated on Thursday, 20 August 2009 05:46
 

Kerala sets apart 50 pc seats in civic bodies for women

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 10:46 administrator
Print PDF

Indian Express 19.08.2009

Kerala sets apart 50 pc seats in civic bodies for women

In a major pro-women policy initiative, the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala on Wednesday decided to set apart 50 per cent of elected seats in panchayats and all other local bodies for women.

Announcing this after a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said a special session of the state Assembly would be convened from September 8 to 17 to bring in a legislation in this regard.

The liaison committee of the coalition government had last week evolved a consensus among the ruling front partners to formulate such policy.

Presently, 33 per cent of seats in civic bodies are constitutionally guaranteed for women. If necessary, states have powers to bring in amendments to their respective laws to enhance women's representation up to 50 per cent. States like Chattisgargh, Bihar and Maharashtra have already taken initiative in this direction.

The amendment would also help increase women's representation on administrative panels of civic bodies like standing committees, giving them a decisive say on important matters like Budget allocations for welfare schemes. LDF circles hailed this as a crucial aspect since many of the welfare schemes concerning women and children were now being implemented through local bodies.

Greater presence of women on civic bodies would make formulation of schemes, budget allocations and implementation far more gender-sensitive, they said.

Kerala has 999 village panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 53 municipalities and five city corporations.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 10:59
 

Schemes for women sanitation workers

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 05:08 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu - Kerala 19.08.2009

Schemes for women sanitation workers

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram: The government is planning to implement several welfare schemes for women engaged in the removal of solid waste.

Local Self-Government Minister Paloli Mohammed Kutty said here on Monday that an expert committee headed by Sanitation Mission Director Dr. Ajaykumar Varma had been appointed to study the work and health challenges being faced by the women. Its recommendations had been accepted by the Government and steps had been taken on the basis of them.

It had been decided to provide apron, gloves and mask to the workers. An insurance scheme which would provide for the payment of Rs.1 lakh in the event of death or disability due to accident would be implemented for them. Health cards would be provided to them and they would be subjected to medical check-ups. A minimum net income of Rs.2,500 a month would be ensured in their case. A welfare fund would also be set up.

An additional annual expenditure of Rs.2.06 crore would have to be incurred for covering the 2,177 members of the 255 Kudmbasree units in 23 urban bodies. It would be shared on an equal basis by the urban body and the unit concerned.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 05:10
 

‘Education will help empower women’

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 05:04 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu - Karnataka 19.08.2009

‘Education will help empower women’

Special Correspondent

It is more important than 33 per cent reservation in legislatures, says Selvi Das

 

Less than 6.25 p.c. of legislators are women

‘Women IAS officers get insignificant postings’

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Capicity Building: The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore P. Selvi Das inaugurating a workshop in Mysore on Tuesday.

MYSORE: The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore P. Selvi Das has said that women’s education is more important for their empowerment than 33 per cent reservation in legislatures.

She was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on capacity building for women leaders organised by the International Centre and the Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Mysore, here on Tuesday.

Ms. Das called for measures to help women develop self-confidence within the academic curriculum, which would also help them develop a greater sense of self-respect. She said there should be greater awareness and sensitisation of both men and women to women’s issues if society were to progress.

She, however, cautioned that women’s empowerment was not about wearing Western clothes or focussing on physical attributes. Empowerment came along with enormous responsibility towards one’s family and society. Indian culture should not be done away with, she added.

She said 62 years of Independence had not resulted in much advancement in the status of women in the country. “There is a general perception and a deep-rooted belief that marriage is the summum bonum of all existence, and that a woman increases in stature if she is married,” said Ms. Das.

Social stigma

“There is social stigma attached to unmarried women, which is not good. Incidents of female infanticide and female foeticide are a direct off-shoot of this belief,” she added.

Recalling her experience of dealing with women aspirants for the IAS when she was a member of the Union Public Service Commission, Ms. Das said that although women were found to be as competent as men, even after selection and completion of probation they were being given insignificant postings.

“So even educated women in urban areas perceive discrimination,” she said and added that the situation was worse in rural areas.

Ms. Das said discrimination against women in society was deep-rooted and pointed out that less than 6.25 per cent of all legislators in the States were women. The country had had only one woman Prime Minister in 62 years, one woman President and one woman Lok Sabha Speaker so far. Also, there were only two women out of 26 Supreme Court judges.

She said that although the country had passed various laws for women’s empowerment, there was little awareness among women on their rights, such as those relating to property. Ms. Das said the Women’s Reservation Bill to reserve 33 per cent of seats in legislatures for women had been kept in abeyance for more than 10 years. This only showed the attitude of political leaders.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore V.G. Talawar, the former Director of the Madras Institute of Development Studies V.K. Nataraj, and Director of the International Centre R. Indira were present.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 05:06
 

Improvement in human development in Bihar: Report

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 13:40 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India 11.08.2009

Improvement in human development in Bihar: Report

Pranava K Chaudhary, TNN 11 August 2009, 05:58am IST

PATNA: The primary results of Bihar's first Human Development Index (HDI) indicate that there has been improvement in the human development compared to the past due to better facilities created in the education and health sector.

The HDI value has gradually increased since 1981, but Bihar has been lagging far behind among the 15 major states. The indicators used for districts in Bihar to construct composite index are per capita district domestic product, adult literacy and infant survival rate, said project head Jagdish Prasad who is a senior faculty member of A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies (ANSISS).

The ANSISS has been entrusted with the task of preparation of Human Development Report (HDR). The project, which was sponsored by the department of planning and development, Government of Bihar, is likely to be completed by next month.

A substantial difference across districts has been found. Prasad told TOI that there is a large regional disparity in the state which needs attention from development policy point of view.

He said that the indicators of HDI will certainly help Bihar to integrate human development concerns into its development strategies. He said that along with HDI, human population index and gross development index and district development index would also be prepared so that sectoral gap could be identified.

The report will consist of 14 chapters which mainly include development challenges and specifications of Bihar, human development in Bihar, health and nutrition, agrarian economy, social security, environment issues, gender equality and district development index: a comparative view and a road ahead.

Recently, the ANSISS had organized a day long workshop to introduce the theme of the HDR. It was also aimed at getting feedbacks from the experts of different fields on the coverage of the subject in the report. It was essential as the HDR would be an independent assessment of human development in the state, Prasad told TOI.

Bihar's principal secretary, planning, Rameshwar Singh said that the HDR would be marked as beginning of new developed Bihar. It would be the first step towards monitoring the process of development in a manner that directly captures the quality of life of the state, Singh said.

Singh said that a major objective of the HDR was to bring about a certain consensus on the adoption of the human development approach in Bihar. The final report is likely to be submitted to the government next month, said an official.
 
More Articles...


Page 19 of 20