The Hindu : National : Women's groups want prices checked

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 13, 2007
ePaper


<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 ALT="Click Here"></A> </NOSCRIPT>

National

National

Women's groups want prices checked

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Women's groups on Monday expressed concern over the rising prices of essential commodities and asked the Government to include price control measures in the Budget proposals.

A delegation of representatives from various women's groups, meeting Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, also apprised him of the expectations of crores of poor and working women from the coming Budget. They said that while the concept of gender budgeting was a welcome move, unfortunately figures were being inflated to suggest that more was being done for women than was the fact. This needed to be corrected.

On price rise, the delegation said the Government should expand the public distribution system to include two crore "Antodaya" cardholders (women headed households, widows and destitutes). It also wanted the below poverty line (BPL) calculation rectified so that those left out were covered. Besides, additional items such as pulses should be added to the list of subsidised items, they said.

The delegation comprised Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali and Ashalata (all from All India Democratic Women's Association), Jyotsna Chatterji (Joint Women's Programme), Indrani Mazumdar (Centre for Women's Development and Studies), Bulu Sareen (Forces), Kalpana Francis (Young Women's Christian Association) and Annie Raja (National Federation of Indian Women).

Sub-plan for Muslims

The representatives sought a sub-plan for the Muslim community. Also, all sub-plans for the most deprived (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslims) must give priority to women of these communities.

Among other demands put by the delegation were expansion of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme to at least 200 more districts, institutionalisation of the Integrated Child Development Scheme, regularisation of the workers with enhanced allowances and expansion of the scheme.

A comprehensive social security for women workers in the unorganised sector, increased credit at 4 per cent interest rate to the self help groups and increased widow pensions were the other demands.

They also sought attention paid to acute distress in rural areas and the farm sector given more credit with an increase in the rural infrastructure spending and remunerative support prices guaranteed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National