‘Govt. committed to women’s welfare’

Umashree, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, said on Saturday that the government was committed to the welfare of all women and women self-help groups in the State.

She was speaking after laying the foundation stone for Sakhi One Stop Centre at the State Home premises at Nittur, here.

The centre will provide medical, legal and rehabilitation facilities for women affected by violence.

Ms. Umashree said that the one-storey building of this centre would be built at a cost of Rs. 38 lakh provided by the Union government. This was the only Sakhi Centre sanctioned by the Union government to the State. It had also provided Rs. 8 lakh for providing other facilities at the Centre.

But the State government had already started special treatment units in the District Government Hospitals in all 30 districts a couple of years ago. These units also provided medical, legal and rehabilitation facilities for women affected by violence.

Such a unit was already functioning at the District Government Hospital here. Already 93 women and girls in distress had got help from this unit here.

The State government was providing Rs. 20 lakh for the treatment of victims of acid attack to cover the costs of plastic surgery.

This amount would help in their treatment in multi-specialty hospitals.

In addition, these victims were being given a monthly pension of Rs. 3,000.

Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, Dinakar Babu, president of zilla panchayat, Meenakshi Bannanje, president of Udupi City Municipal Council, Veronica Carnelio, Chairperson of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd, Shyamala Bhandary, member of State Women’s Commission, and others were present.