The Supreme Court today said that "some more efforts" were required to be made for improving the condition of widows living in the shelter homes in different parts of the country.
A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta asked the Ministry of Women and Child Development and National Commission for Women (NCW) to furnish a list of "agreed directions" which they want the court to pass for improving the situation.
"After hearing some arguments, it appears that some more efforts are required to be made for improving the condition of widows in different parts of the country," the bench noted in its order.
"You (the ministry and the NCW) give us a list of agreed directions which you want us to pass," the bench said.
It had taken note of the situation of widows after a petition was filed in 2007 portraying their pathetic condition in the welfare homes at the holy city of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh.
The advocates, representing the ministry and the NCW, said that it would be appropriate if agreed directions were formulated and issued so that immediate steps could be taken to improve the condition of widows.
They told the bench that they would sit together and come out with a list of agreed directions, which may be passed by the apex court. The bench has fixed the matter for hearing on April 6.
During the proceedings, the NCW's counsel said many widows in shelter homes at Vrindavan were young and educated and they have the skill to do some work.
"No employment generation programmes are there for such widows now. The government has to explore employment opportunity for them," the counsel said.
When the court was told about the steps being taken to improve the condition, the bench said, "That is okay but more needs to be done."
The apex court had earlier referred to various reports filed by the National Legal Services Authority, the District Legal Services Authority and the NCW on the condition of shelter homes for widows in Vrindavan.
One of the reports had said that there was lack of proper
toilets and bathrooms in the shelter homes, besides poor facility of water and electricity.
Earlier, the court had pulled up the NCW and its Uttar Pradesh counterpart for their apathy to the pitiable condition of Vrindavan widows in shelter homes.
The court was hearing the pleas seeking directions to the Centre and the state government to provide shelter and other necessary facilities to the widows in Vrindavan who have been abandoned by their family members.
The apex court had also appointed a seven-member panel to collect data on their socio-economic conditions. A majority of the 1,000-odd widows interviewed earlier in Vrindavan by the NCW have children who do not care for them.
In a report filed in the apex court, the statutory women's body had recommended fixing of liability on the children under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
It had said an estimated 5,000-10,000 widows were living like beggars in ashrams dotting the two holy cities of Mathura and Vrindavan.
