National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson reviews women-centric schemes, safety measures

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Vijaya Rahatkar, visited Sonitpur district on an extensive official tour aimed at reviewing the implementation of women-centric welfare schemes and assessing women’s safety mechanisms.

During her visit, the NCW Chairperson first participated in an interactive meeting at Conference Hall–II of the Sonitpur District Commissioner’s Office, where she engaged with beneficiaries of various Central and State Government schemes including PM Awas Yojana, Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Scheme, Orunodoi, Mukhyamantri Atmanirbhar Assam Abhiyan, PMFME, members of Self-Help Groups under the AssAM State Rural Livelihood Mission, and Lakhpati Baideus. She reviewed the impact of these schemes on their standard of living, social status, and personal empowerment.

Addressing the gathering, Rahatkar said that when women came together and moved forward collectively, they became a powerful source of inspiration for society and helped guide it in the right direction. She stated that the NCW’s mandate was to closely monitor whether women-focused schemes of the central and state governments were being implemented effectively and whether these initiatives were truly empowering women socially, economically, and politically. She congratulated women beneficiaries who had successfully transformed their lives through government welfare programmes.

Senior officials present included Additional Chief Secretary Dr B Kalyan Chakravarthy, NCW Additional Secretary Radhika Chakravarty, Assam State Commission for Women Chairperson , Special Secretary Munindra Sharma, Sonitpur District Commissioner Ananda Kumar Das, Vice-Chairperson Barnali Saikia Bora, Zilla Parishad CEO Jayanta Kumar Bora, and other district officials.

Later, the NCW Chairperson inaugurated the ‘She is a Change Maker’ awareness workshop for elected women Panchayat representatives at Darrang College Auditorium, Tezpur. The programme was jointly organized by the National Commission for Women, the Government of India, and the Golap Borbora State Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development (SIPRD), Assam. The workshop focused on strengthening leadership, awareness, and participation of women representatives in grassroots governance.

In her address, Rahatkar highlighted the crucial role of women’s leadership in building a developed India and noted that the NCW had so far conducted nearly 200 such awareness workshops across the country. Emphasizing women’s political empowerment, she said that women leaders must take independent decisions to ensure meaningful participation in governance.

Following this, the Chairperson visited the Sakhi One Stop Centre in Tezpur to review infrastructure, services, and case-handling mechanisms. She later held a review meeting at the District Commissioner’s Office with officials from departments including Panchayat and Rural Development, Social Welfare, Health, POSH Act implementation, and One Stop Centres. She praised initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Nijut Moina Scheme, Orunodoi, and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Scheme for their role in women’s empowerment.

Rahatkar also held a separate meeting with the Senior Superintendent of Police and senior police officers to review steps taken for women’s safety and security in the district. The visit concluded with the NCW Chairperson addressing members of the local media.

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