The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Efforts on to reduce crimes against women: policy note

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Efforts on to reduce crimes against women: policy note

By S. Dorairaj

CHENNAI, JULY 31. Though the incidence of crime against women has come down in the State last year, there is an upward trend in cases such as rape, molestation and cruelty by husband and other relatives, according to the policy note on the demand for grants to the police.

The policy note on the demand, one of the 13 demands guillotined in the Assembly today, said the Government was taking intensive efforts to prevent and reduce the incidence of violence and crimes against women.

It attributed the rise in cases of crime against women to "a sharp increase in the reporting of incidence." Though 4,939 such cases were reported in 2001, the number rose to 6,077 in 2002, "largely due to better reporting." A total of 5,876 cases were reported in 2003, a 3.3 per cent decrease compared to the corresponding period in 2002.

Official data showed that the incidence of rape and attempt to rape had gone up from 512 in 2002 to 547 last year. As far as cases of cruelty by husband and relatives was concerned, the number had risen from 966 in 2002 to 1,494 in 2003. The number of molestation cases increased from 1,866 in 2002 to 2,048 last year. However, there was a 10.97 per cent decline in cases of kidnapping and abduction, 10.12 per cent decrease in dowry deaths and 47.67 per cent decline in cases of sexual harassment.

Caste clashes

Claiming that peace prevailed on the caste front, the policy note said 11 deaths due to "17 isolated incidents of caste clashes" were reported in 2003. During 2003-04, four dropout cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were lodged in the special camp at Chengalpattu. Police resorted to firing on two occasions this year.

Moving the demand of grant for Rural Development, the Minister for Information, Publicity and Local Administration, K.P. Anbazhagan, said an outlay of Rs. 200 crores including Rs. 52.21 crores of Government grant, was made for implementing the Namadhu Gramam scheme in the current year.

New proposals

Providing new buildings for 5,876 noon-meal centres at a cost of Rs. 58.76 crores, construction of 12,618 compost yards at a cost of Rs. 37.85 crores, computerisation of village panchayat accounts, rejuvenation of drinking water Ooranies, revival of building centres, allocation of Rs. 17.81 crores as State's share for the total sanitation programme, earmarking Rs. 721 crores for local bodies under the State Finance Commission Grant and Rs. 99.22 croes under the Eleventh Finance Commission grant are among the new proposals of the department.

`Third Chennai Project'

In the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, the Government sought World Bank assistance of Rs. 750 crores for the `Third Chennai Project' to take up work on strengthening the water distribution system, enhancing infrastructure to draw additional groundwater from Araniyar Kortaliar Basin, etc. Revised administrative sanction of Rs. 124 crores was made under the Chennai Water Supply Augmentation Project-II, he said.

In the Commercial Taxes sector, the State collected revenue to the tune of Rs. 11,757 crores through the Tamil Nadu General Sales Tax, Central Sales Tax, entertainment tax, betting tax, luxury tax and entry tax during the last financial year.

As on March 31, a total of 49.85 lakh persons were on the live registers of employment exchanges.

Of them, 18.29 lakhs were women, 11.68 were Scheduled Caste applicants and 13,566 were from Scheduled Tribes, it pointed out.

The House also voted a total of 24 demands including the ones on Tamil Development-Culture, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, Tourism, Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Forest and Environment and Education.

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