The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Plan to grant statutory powers to State women's panel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Plan to grant statutory powers to State women's panel

Special Correspondent

Call for social engineering to ensure better life for women

CHENNAI: A proposal to grant statutory powers to the Tamil Nadu State Women's Commission is under the consideration of the Chief Minister, according to Social Welfare Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna.

Meeting members of the National Commission for Women here on Tuesday, Dr. Poongothai said several issues relating to women would have to be addressed by the State.

She called for intensive social engineering to ensure a better life for women. The State Government was providing marriage and pregnancy assistance to women of the disadvantaged groups and had given them equal inheritance rights.

At a consultation on "Powers of the Civil Court vested with the Commissions," National Commission for Women chairperson Girija Vyas said despite the numerous laws for the protection of women, crimes against them had been increasing. Quoting statistics, she said 1,30,725 cases of crimes against women were registered in 2001. By 2005, the number had gone up to 1,45,523 cases.

She congratulated Tamil Nadu on setting models for women's development that other States could also follow, especially its attempts to bring down the inequalities in sex ratio, providing cycles to schoolchildren. The chairpersons of the Southern State Commissions and NGO representatives were present.

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