National Commision

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar succeeds Rekha Sharma as new NCW chairperson

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar has been appointed the ninth chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) succeeding Rekha Sharma, according to an official order. The appointment made under Section 3 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, will be for a period of three years or until she reaches the age of 65, whichever comes first, a government notification issued on Saturday said. Rahatkar's tenure will begin with immediate effect. The announcement will also be published in the Gazette of India. In addition to the appointment of Rahatkar, Archana Majumdar has been officially named a member of the NCW for a tenure of three years, as per a notification issued by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The NCW, a statutory body, is empowered to work towards the advancement of women's rights. Its mandate includes reviewing the constitutional and legal safeguards provided for women. According to a statement issued by the Women and Child Development Ministry, Rahatkar h

Eco Survey calls for action for rising mental health issues among Indians

The Economic Survey on Monday flagged a rise in mental health issues among Indians, calling for a paradigm shift towards a bottom-up, whole-of-community approach to address the problem. Paying attention to mental health in society is both a health and an economic imperative, the policy document asserted while dwelling on the topic in a vast and detailed manner for the first time highlighting the various socio-economic repercussions of the issue. Mental health drags down productivity more widely in the ecosystem than individuals' physical health issues, it noted. Quoting the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16 data, the survey said 10.6 per cent of adults suffered from mental disorders in India while the treatment gap for mental disorders ranged between 70 to 92 per cent for different disorders. Further, as per the NMHS, the prevalence of mental morbidity was higher in urban metro regions (13.5 per cent) as compared to rural areas (6.9 per cent) and urban non-metro areas (4

Buyer not bound by one-sided contract

The National Commission held that a buyer can neither be compelled to take possession without an Occupancy Certificate nor kept waiting endlessly for the flat's completion

WCD ministry launches several projects in 2023, impact to be seen next year

From establishing G20's working group on women's empowerment to integration of the child helpline with the Emergency Response Support System 112, 2023 saw the beginning of several initiatives by the Women and Child Development Ministry. These initiatives aim to address key issues concerning the well-being of women and children across the country. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also remained in the limelight during the year. The NCW found itself in a soup over not acting in the incident of public assault of women in Manipur despite receiving the complaint a month before a video of the incident went viral. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma had accepted receiving the complaint from the activists. "We had to verify the authenticity. And also, the complaints were not from Manipur, some were not even from India. We reached out to authorities but no response was received from them but then we took suo motu cognisance when the video (of women being paraded naked) went viral," she had

Theft claim rejected as employee role suspected

According to the National Commission, the suspicious manner in which the heavy drums were stolen, without leaving any evidence, provided grounds for repudiating the claim

Barmer rape case: NCW Chairperson writes to Rajasthan DGP for investigation

National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the Director General of Police (DGP) Rajasthan regarding a fair and time-bound investigation in Barmer rape case.The matter pertains to April 6, when a Dalit woman was allegedly raped and set on fire in Rajasthan's Barmer district. The victim succumbed to burn injuries at Jaipur's Mahatma Gandhi Hospital on Saturday, police said.The incident occurred on Thursday in an area under Pachpadra police station limits, Barmer district.The main accused has been identified as Shakoor and has been arrested, police said.In her letter to DGP Rajasthan, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said to conduct a fair and time-bound investigation in the matter and if the allegations levelled are found to be true, an FIR should be filed under relevant provisions of law.Meanwhile, the state BJP formed a three-member committee pertaining to the case. Pali MP PP Chaudhary, MLA Jogeshwar Garg and Mayor Vanita Seth are included in the ...

5% rise in minority population shows protection level for them: NCM chief

India has witnessed a five per cent increase in minority population since independence which shows the level of protection, the country has provided to such communities, National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura said on Wednesday. He made the remarks at the annual conference of the state minorities commissions at the Ambedkar International Centre here. Addressing the gathering, Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla said, "In order to fulfil the mandate of our Constitution of welfare of minorities, we have institutions like the Ministry of Minority Affairs and National Commission for Minorities, working day and night." "We have a crucial role in fulfilling the government's vision of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas.' As minorities, our role is to put in efforts for nation's development, that is 'Prayas'," he said. The conference was inaugurated by Barla in the presence of Lalpura, Vice Chairman of NCM KK Deboo and members Dhanyakumar Jinappa Gunde, ...

Builder paid for breach of contract by buyer

The National Commission noted that the agreement provided for a refund of money, along with interest, but the purchasers had never sought refund

NCW seeks explanation from IAS officer over remark on sanitary napkins

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought explanation from a senior IAS officer over her "inappropriate and highly objectionable" remark to a student who asked about affordable sanitary napkins. According to media reports, when the girl student from Bihar asked why the government could not provide sanitary pads, Harjot Kaur Bhamra responded, "Tomorrow, you attain the age of family planning and you would expect the government to provide 'nirodh' (condoms) too." The NCW said it had observed that such "insensitive attitude" from a person at a responsible position was condemnable and extremely shameful. "NCW has taken cognizance of the matter. Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to Harjot Kaur Bhamra, IAS, seeking explanation over her inappropriate and highly objectionable remarks," the women's panel said in a statement.

National Commission for Women launches anti-human trafficking cell

The Cell will conduct gender sensitization training and workshops in combating human trafficking for police officers and for prosecutors at regional, state and district levels

Scrutinise agreement before signing it

The National Commission indicted the bank for having obtained signatures on the loan agreement in which critical spaces had been left blank

NCW asks states to take measures to bridge gender gap in Covid vaccination

Raising concerns over gender gap in COVID-19 vaccine administration, the NCW has written to all states and UTs to take measures to ensure that women are not left behind in the vaccination drive

Can insurer issue circular to circumvent judiciary and avoid paying claims?

Though the claimant didn't have a valid route permit, the National Commission still asked the insurer to settle the claim