In order to promote women empowerment and their safety to increase their participation in workforce, the Government has approved a new and comprehensive Umbrella Scheme for safety, security and empowerment of women under the name 'Mission Shakti', including components such as National, State and District level Hubs for Empowerment of Women, Women Help Lines, One Stop Centres, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sakhi Niwas (Working Women’s Hostels), Palna (crèches for children of working women) etc. The schemes of One Stop Centres and Universalisation of Women Helpline are implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to support women facing violence or distress of any kind which may adversely affect their participation in workforce.

 

The Government, with the aim to provide safe and secure work environment to women at their workplace and to increase their participation in the workforce, has also enacted ‘the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’ (SH Act). The Act covers all women, irrespective of their age or employment status and protect them from sexual harassment at all workplaces whether public or private, organized or unorganized. The Act casts an obligation upon employers to provide a safe and secure working environment free from sexual harassment by constituting Internal Committees (ICs) for workplaces with ten or more workers and by displaying at conspicuous places the penal consequences of sexual harassment and the orders constituting ICs. Similarly, Local Committees (LCs) are to be constituted under the Act in districts to receive complaints in organizations having less than 10 workers or if complaints are against employers themselves. Employers are also required to organize workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitizing the employees about the provisions of this legislation.

 

In order to enhance the employability of female workers and ensure economic independence of women through skill development and vocational training, the Government has also introduced Skill India Mission under which training is provided through a network of women Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. The National Skill Development Policy focuses on inclusive skill development, with the objective of increased women participation for better economic productivity. There are schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Stand-up India, for helping the women to set up their own enterprises. Further, the Labour Codes, viz. the Code on Wages 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020, collectively include provisions to promote participation of women in workforce in a dignified manner and with adequate safety measures adopted by the employers.

 

This information was given by the Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

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