CHENNAI : The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has called upon the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Government to fulfil its poll promises such as rice at Rs. 2 a kg and pension for widows and the aged on a priority basis.

In a statement here on Friday, Association president N. Amirtham and general secretary U. Vasuki wanted the new Government to make the State Commission for Women a statutory body and appoint a chairperson for the Commission. The post is lying vacant for about a year, it said.

Only 22 women

Pointing out that there were only 22 women members in the new legislative Assembly, the release said it constituted only 9.4 per cent of the total strength. It is unfortunate that there was a wide gap between the demand for 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislature, and the present situation, they said.

They, however, congratulated the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which allotted 25 per cent of its seats to women. Of its nine elected members, three were women, the release pointed out.

As regards the DMK's poll promise on allotting two acres of wasteland to the families of landless farm workers, the AIDWA wanted the Government to jointly register the land in the name of husband and wife. It urged the Government to strengthen the local bodies and adopt transparent methods in implementing the Centre's rural employment guarantee scheme.

It said time was ripe for implementing all these schemes, and added that the new Government must start working without delay.

It also congratulated the people of West Bengal and Kerala who had voted the Left parties to power.

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