Mandatory martial arts training for school and college girls, 50 more person-days for all single- and women-headed households under MGNREGS and 33.3% representation in registered parties are among the provisions in the draft Tamil Nadu State New Policy for Women 2021 .
The document was released by the State Government on Wednesday. As per the draft, all forms of transport must be made women-friendly. “In buses, the first half of the seats shall be earmarked for women, and the front exit/entrance shall be used only by women,” it said.
The policy would be implemented over five years. The draft policy provides for the establishment of a system of “victim support” for all cases of abuse, and focuses on rehabilitation and identity protection at the first instance, without delay, to ensure that women do not feel abandoned.
According to the draft policy, the State shall pay greater attention to getting all children from poor families and special focus groups, like girls and children from SC and ST communities who are not in school, back into school. The scope of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya shall be extended specifically in educationally backward blocks to cover adolescent girls up to 19 years of age, so that they will be able to complete their school education. It aims to support at least 1,000 women student researchers from disadvantaged sections of society every year, especially in STEM subjects.
A senior official told The Hindu that after receiving opinions and suggestions from the public on the draft, the policy would be finalised and released officially. The 45-page draft policy has identified four core focus areas of empowerment — social, economic, political and emotional — which will be the guiding principles of the policy.
“Tamil Nadu shall provide free/subsidised coaching classes for exams like JEE, CAT, UPSC and TNPSC, and for higher management and technical courses to encourage women’s participation,” the draft stated. At least 3% interest subvention for education loans could be given to girl students pursuing higher education, and an additional 0.5% interest subvention could be provided to those who studied in Tamil medium, it said.
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