Creches will increase women presence in workplaces: Minister

Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George said depending on the availability of space, maximum number of creches would be set up this financial year

Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George interacts with young children at the first ‘Workplace child-care centre’ set up by the Women and Child Development Department at the Kerala State Public Service Commission headquarters here on Wednesday.

The ‘Workplace child-care centre’ project is a significant step towards women empowerment and increasing the presence of women in the workplace, Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George has said.

She was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Workplace child-care centre’ project rolled out by the Women and Child Development Department and the first creche set up as part of the project at the Kerala State Public Service Commission headquarters here on Wednesday.

The Minister said depending on the availability of space, maximum number of creches would be set up this financial year. An amount of ₹50 lakh had been sanctioned for setting up infrastructure for the project.

Working women, she said, were very anxious about the care and safety of their children. After six months of breastfeeding, when the women went to work, the separation from children for that duration was painful for them. Many women gave up work to ensure that their child was safe and secure. They left work owing to social factors too.

Though the number of women in workplaces was going up every year, there was need for more of them compared to their proportion of the population. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, directed that breastfeeding be promoted and necessary arrangement be made for this in public places. These factors had led to the decision to start child-care centres in workplaces. The first of these had been set up in the PSC office. “Creches should come up in the private sector too,” she said.

Funds had been sanctioned to the District Women and Child Development Officers to purchase fridge, washing machine, gas stove, gas connection, child-friendly furniture, cooking equipment, breast feeding spaces, cradle, baby monitoring equipment, mattresses, toys, bedsheets, and cleaning equipment.

Ms. George said the Women and Child Development Department was taking steps to address the problems faced by women in the IT sector. A reskilling programme was also being conducted by the department.

Creches would soon open on the Kinfra campus and the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, in Thiruvananthapuram district; Krishnapuram panchayat in Alappuzha; Ernakulam District Collectorate; Kalpetta Civil Station, Wayanad; and Neeleswaram block panchayat in Kasaragod, she said.

The Minister also flagged off a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus branding on the importance of breastfeeding.

District panchayat president D. Suresh Kumar was the chief guest at the function, presided over by PSC chairperson M.K. Sakeer. PSC members and department officials were present.