Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 23

The long-awaited national policy for women stands junked for now with the government securing the permission of the parliamentary committee on assurances to drop all promises made on the floor of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in this respect.

Govt gets house panel’s approval

A parliamentary panel has allowed the government to drop all promises made on the floor of the House, including two related to prenuptial agreements, on grounds that “marriage in India was principally seen as a sacrament and confining it to an agreement may not be welcomed by a large segment of society”.

In its report during the just-concluded winter session, the Committee on Government Assurances said it had granted permission to the Ministry of Women and Child Development to drop all five parliamentary assurances made on the National Policy for Women 2017.

In these assurances made on December 11, 2015; December 2, 2016; March 3, 2017; March 9, 2018 and February 8, 2019, while responding to questions in both Houses, the WCD Minister said the draft had been prepared keeping in view socio-economic changes that occurred since the last policy formulation in 2001.

“The ministry has prepared the draft National Policy for Women 2017 incorporating the suggestions of all stakeholders for consideration of the Cabinet Secretariat. The draft policy envisages that existing legislations affecting women will be harmonised in accordance with constitutional provisions and international commitments to enhance their effectiveness,” the WCD Ministry said in one of its assurances. In the works since December 2015, the draft policy was approved by the Group of Ministers in 2018 and submitted for Cabinet approval which never came.

Requesting the committee on government assurances to permit it to drop all promises about the policy, WCD Ministry said the Cabinet Secretariat was no longer considering the draft National Policy for Women 2017.

“A Cabinet note on the national policy for women was sent to the Cabinet Secretariat for consideration. The Cabinet Secretariat intimated that it is no longer under consideration of the secretariat. However, the Ministry of Women and Child Development may, if considered necessary, forward an updated and a revised note. It is submitted that review of policies is a continuous process and based on the recommendations the government takes appropriate measures to amend the laws from time to time,” the WCD ministry said in its request to the committee.

The draft policy was prepared when Maneka Gandhi was WCD Minister. It addressed diverse needs of women through the identified areas, including food security and education.