On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Women and Child Development Ministry of Maharashtra has unveiled the state’s “Fourth Women’s Policy – 2024,” marking a significant step towards promoting gender equality and empowering women across various sectors.
Devendra Fadnavis, in a statement on his official Twitter account, expressed his wishes to all the women of the state and highlighted the key features of the new policy. The policy aims to provide equal opportunities for women, prioritize employment, and offer various facilities for working women during pregnancy.
As per the details regarding the Government Decision about the new women’s policy, it outlines a comprehensive strategy to address social, economic, and developmental aspects affecting women and girls in the state. The policy encompasses health, nutrition, education, gender-based violence prevention, gender equality, entrepreneurship, skill development, infrastructure development, governance, political participation, natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and disaster management.
Key Highlights of the “Fourth Women’s Policy – 2024”:
- Enumerative Format and Index: The policy is introduced along with a specific and enumerative format for women’s empowerment, accompanied by an index to measure the progress of its implementation.
- Institutional Arrangements: The strategy not only includes an action plan but also focuses on creating institutional arrangements to monitor the progress of the policy’s implementation.
- Approval and Funding Mechanism: Implementation of the policy requires approval from relevant ministerial departments, along with the planning and finance department, to allocate funds.
- State Level Special Task Force: A dedicated task force is established to design the State Level Convergent Action Plan, monitor implementation, and make recommendations for policy improvement.
- District Level Implementation Steering Committee: This committee is responsible for establishing a Gender Equality Resource Center, conducting research, organizing awareness programs, and streamlining the implementation of social and economic development programs at the district level.
The Fourth Women’s Policy Action Plan emphasizes a timely and systematic implementation through ministerial departments, with detailed action plans, roles, responsibilities, and coordination indices.
For further details, the policy document is available on the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra’s official website: www.maharashtra.gov.in, with reference number 202403071848424030.
