In many States across the country, basic amenities like restrooms and mobile toilets are still a major problem for women police personnel, a Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women has noted in its latest report on the ‘working conditions of women in police force’.
Tabled in Parliament this week, the Committee’s report expressed “dismay” at the Union Home Ministry for not meeting the recommendations made in its earlier report for improving the working conditions of women in the police force. The Committee has submitted its first report to the 15th Lok Sabha in 2013.
Referring to the lack of facilities for the women, the Committee says the issue can only be tackled through “persistent efforts and constant follow up by the government along with time bound action by the States”.
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It is has frowned upon the government for failing to ensure 33 per cent representation of women in the police force and not making provisions for residential accommodation for them. “Taking into consideration the lack of residential accommodation which is seen as one of the major impediments faced by women in joining police force, the Committee had desired that the government devise an effective housing policy to augment the availability of residential accommodation. However, the Committee is dismayed to see the reply that many police stations in several States are still being run from rented accommodation.”
It has asked the government to explore the possibility of introducing separate housing pool for women personnel.
In its earlier report the Committee had expressed concern that women police personnel in all the States and Union Territories constituted a mere 5.33 per cent of the total combined strength of 15,85,117 police personnel. It had recommended that the Ministry should take steps in coordination with the State governments to ensure that special drive is undertaken to raise the representation of women police personnel to 33 per cent at the earliest.
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The government has, however stated that it cannot link various grants/ funds with the progress achieved by each States in increasing the representation of women in their police force, as was recommended by the Committee. This explanation has also drawn criticism from the Committee; which has reiterated that central grants under the scheme for modernisation of State police should be linked with progress achieved by each State in increasing the number of women in the force.