New Delhi, Oct 28 The National Commission for Women (NCW) has submitted a roadmap to the West Bengal government, recommending measures to strengthen women’s safety, healthcare, social protection and economic empowerment in the state, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The report consolidates recommendations following the “Nari Netritwe Unnoto” conclave held on August 6 at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata.
It has been submitted to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Women and Child Development Minister Malati Rava Roy for consideration, the NCW said in a statement.
The conclave brought together over 120 stakeholders, including policymakers, administrators, legal experts, healthcare professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, artists and civil society representatives.
The deliberations focused on three priorities: women’s health, safety and social protection; women’s leadership in education, arts, literature and culture; and entrepreneurship, industry and economic empowerment.
Among the key proposals, the report recommended considering a family health-insurance card of Rs 5 lakh registered in the woman’s name for families without existing health insurance.
It also called for strengthening One Stop Centres to provide survivors of domestic violence with coordinated legal aid, counselling, medical care and appropriate shelter support.
The report recommended expanding access to maternal and preventive healthcare, establishing community-based mental-wellness centres and weekly, privacy-protected adolescent health clinics, and improving rural diagnostics through village-level sample collection linked to district and medical-college facilities.
It also called for strengthening virology laboratory capacity and promoting a “Test Before Treat” approach.
The report recommended expanding public awareness of women’s legal rights, access to legal aid, safety in public spaces and relevant government schemes, while continuing to strengthen the Durga Suraksha Bahini initiative.
It also highlighted the need to promote age-appropriate sex education and values-based education, and address anaemia, child marriage and maternal mortality among vulnerable communities, including in rural North Bengal.
On women’s leadership in education, arts, literature and culture, the report proposed integrating local heritage, folk songs and traditional art forms into school and college curricula, and providing greater support and recognition for folk artists, including Bhawaiya singers.
It also recommended creating platforms for women writers and other under-represented voices, addressing gender-based disparities in artists’ remuneration and professional opportunities, and developing paid internships, structured training and safe-workplace support for women entering film and other creative industries.
The report suggested considering medical insurance for dancers, improving livelihood support for Nachni dancers and considering recognition of Gaudiya Nritya as a classical dance form, the commission said.
For entrepreneurship, industry and economic empowerment, it recommended improving institutional credit for self-help groups (SHGs), strengthening cooperative societies and expanding access to livelihood programmes, digital literacy and skills training, particularly in remote and border areas.
It also called for consolidating existing women’s development schemes into a coordinated programme, strengthening partnerships between educational institutions and industry, and connecting experienced women entrepreneurs with young people through mentorship.
Other recommendations included simplifying street-food-vending licensing and related costs, exploring the operation of canteens in government offices through SHGs, increasing women farmers’ representation in Panchayati Raj Institutions and considering a dedicated women’s development mission for North Bengal.
The report also called for reviewing working-hour practices in the private sector, considering extending leave benefits to daily-wage and contractual government staff, and strengthening awareness and implementation of the POSH Act among Internal and Local Committee members, nodal officers and domestic workers.
It further recommended strengthening measures to prevent trafficking, improving postpartum-care awareness, providing mid-day meals for female students in rural colleges and improving communication between NGOs and senior government officials.
“The recommendations emerging from ‘Nari Netritwe Unnoto’ call for coordinated policy action, adequate resources and robust monitoring to translate women-led development into measurable outcomes across West Bengal,” the NCW said.
“The NCW will continue to engage with the State Government and stakeholders to advance their consideration and effective implementation,” it added.
(PTI News)
