State forms panel to amend women policy issued in 2014

Proposes amendments to the policy in the changing scenario

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.

In its continuous crackdown on the drug peddlers, the Kandivali unit of AntiNarcotics Cell (ANC) arrested a 32-year-old man and seized 104 kg weed from his possession on Saturday.

The accused identifed as Salman Sattar Shaikh is a resident of Chandivali and the seized weed is worth about Rs 20.80 lakh, said police.

According to the officials, acting on a tip-off, the ANC officials of Kandivali unit apprehended Shaikh from Sangharsh Nagar in Chandivali on Saturday. At that time, 28 kg of weed was recovered from him.

Following the seizure, he was arrested under the relevant sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) act. He was produced before the court which sent him police custody till February 20.

During investigation, the ANC officials conduced search on his house at Sainath Society at Sangharsha Nagar and recovered another 76 kg of weed.

A fire broke out in the thicket in Aarey Colony area on Monday afternoon, no casualties reported. Residents and activists however alleged a foul play.

There were no report of any injury or damage to property from the fire that started in the grass near Royal Palms Society and Royal Palms Hotel in Aarey colony, a Mumbai fire brigade official said. "The blaze started around 2:40 pm. The cause is yet unknown," he added.

While the fire highlighted the fragility of the 16 sq km green lung of the city and 12odd tribal pockets within, it also provided some weight to activists’ claims. According to activists this is not the first time that there has been fire in Aarey colony. There have been many such fire incidents, residents and activists claimed that the fires are a deliberate attempt to destroy the trees in the only green lung of the metropolis.

Director of Vanashakti - Stalin D, on Monday wrote to the forest department, Municipal commissioner of BMC and other authorities highlghting the issue. Stalin in his email stated that there is a deliberate attempt to set of fire in forests and chop trees in Dindoshi hills, Aarey colony. Stalin states that this is a serious cause of concern as there have been multiple incidents like the one on Monday. The activists have called for a punitive and protective action against these incidents.