Social security scheme for state women soon: Pant

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14

Uttarakhand Finance Minister Prakash Pant has announced that the government will soon come up with a social security scheme for women, who remain underpaid, unrecognised and unpaid. He stated this at a state-level meeting held here today to discuss the issue of unpaid work and women,  

Pant said it was the duty of the government to provide social security to women and the BJP government was ready to shoulder the responsibility. “During the tenure of the BJP government in 2007, we had created a social security fund by imposing a cess on construction work. A sum of Rs 176 crore has been accumulated in the fund and we will soon utilise it for providing social security to women workers,” said Prakash Pant. 

On the other hand, the state Women Commission chairman lamented a delay in drafting a policy for women and called upon women to come up with their suggestions. 

She also highlighted the need to focus on the financial, social and health security of single women. “The issue needs to be taken up properly,” she said. 

Uttarakhand Women and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya stressed the need to craft a policy for women. She said their government would soon set up vending machines in rural areas where women would be able to buy pads for Rs 10. “We will soon launch sanitary napkins that every woman in the village would manage to get. It is important for their health and well-being,” she said. 

However, Renu Thakur, a social activist, said these napkins should be made available free of cost. “The GST on sanitary napkins will make them costly. These should not be taxed and should be free of cost,” said Thakur. 

The consultation on Recognising, Reducing and Redistributing Women’s Unpaid Work was organised jointly by UN Women, ARPAN and Action Aid (Lucknow). The findings of a study conducted in Dharchula block of Pithoragarh district on the issue of unpaid work and women was also presented.