Women and Child Development Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Friday said that the Delhi government will deploy ‘mohalla marshals’ and set up ‘SC/ST Women Welfare Cell in the city to ensure safety of women.
Appointment of ‘mohalla marshals’ was a promise in the 10-point ‘guarantee card’ released by the Aam Aadmi party in the run-up to the Assembly elections. ‘Mohalla marshals’ will be a security layer between the police and citizens to help women and senior citizens feel safer.
The Minister met the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal and asked her to set up a special SC/ST Women Welfare Cell that will work towards the welfare of women and girls from the community.
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“We welcome the idea of WCD Minister and will add a special cell which will work towards the welfare and protection of women from the community,” said the DCW chief.
“We have conducted a pilot project on ‘mohalla marshals’ in Burari wherein Civil Defense officers conducted regular checks in those locations which were the most vulnerable and from where we received the maximum complaints. The results were outstanding and should be implemented across all 70 Vidhan Sabhas,” added Ms. Maliwal.
Commenting on the DCW’s performance, the Minister said: “The women’s panel has done exemplary work in the last three years. In our guarantee card, women’s safety is the topmost priority. The plan is to deploy ‘mohalla marshals’ and strengthen mahila panchayats in the coming months.”
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Protection of children
Mr. Gautam also met members of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and said that curbing drug abuse and protection of children will be the priority areas. “Women and children are the most vulnerable groups in our society. Special attention should be given to child protection as they are more prone to child labour and drug abuse,” he said.
Mr. Gautam also said that they have decided to focus on early identification and prevention of disabilities. “Priorities will be given for screening, evaluation and vocational training programmes for persons with disabilities in the State,” he said.