Rajasthan assembly elections 2023: How would BJP, Congress ensure women safety and welfare - explained
Rajasthan Election 2023: To ensure women's safety in the state, the BJP promised setting up police stations and anti-romeo squads. Meanwhile, the Congress proposed installation of CCTV cameras, women's courts and deploying Nirbhaya Squads. Check more details here:
The issues related to women's safety emerged as one of the major election topics in poll-bound Rajasthan. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, in their manifestos, promised a slew of measures to ensure women feel safe in the state.
During campaigns, BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took potshots at the Congress-led Rajasthan government over the law and order issues in the state. Speaking at an election rally in Barmer on November 15, PM Modi said that under the Congress rule, Rajasthan is leading in incidents of atrocities against women.
Crime against women in Rajasthan: What the data says?
As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data, Rajasthan had emerged as the state which had reported the maximum number of rape cases in the year 2021. As per the data, the state had registered 6,337 incidents of rape cases under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This was followed by 2,845 in Uttar Pradesh. A total of 31,677 rape cases were registered across the country in 2021.
Coming to the incidents of crime against women, Rajasthan was only second to Uttar Pradesh in the tally. While Uttar Pradesh tops the list with a maximum of 56,083 cases in 2021, Rajasthan had reported 40,738 cases.
Rajasthan had seen a nearly 17 per cent increase from the 2020 tally in cases of crime against women. However, it was down 2 per cent from 2019 tally of 41,550 cases. As many as 4,28,278 cases of crime against women were registered across the country in 2021, the NCRB data said.
How BJP promises to ensure women's safety and welfare?
In its "Sankalp Patra" or poll manifesto for the Rajasthan Election 2023, the BJP has promised to"
> Launch "Lado Protsahan Yojna", under which a savings bond of ₹2 lakh will be provided to poor families on the birth of a girl child. Under this scheme, the family will be provided ₹6,000 when the girl enters Class 6, ₹8,000 in Class 9, ₹10,000 in Class 10, ₹12000 in Class 11 and ₹14000 in Class 12. The amount will be given to the girl until she attains the age of 21
> Set up at least one 'mahila thana' in every district and 'mahila desk' in every police station
> Form anti-romeo squad in every major city of Rajasthan
> Start a network of "pink bus"
> Ensure 33 per cent of total personnel in the police force are women
> To install CCTV cameras at public places and educational institutes
> To deploy 500 "Kalika Patrolling team" at public and educational places
> To set up fast-track courts to deal with cases related to crime against women
> It also promised to launch Lakhpati Didi scheme, under which skill training will be provided to nearly 6 lakh rural women to ensure their annual income is at least ₹1 lakh
> Scooty will be provided to meritorious girls on passing Class 12 exam
> Free education from KG to PG to girls of poor families
> Three Mahila Police Battalions will be formed as part of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC)
> The BJP also promised to increase financial assistance under the PM Matru Vandan scheme from ₹5,000 to ₹8,000
> It also promised to provide LPG cylinders for ₹450 each to women of poor families under Ujjawala scheme beneficiaries.
> Set up the state's first "Balika Sainik School" in a bid to encourage girls to join police and other forces
> Reserve seats for girls in government scientific, technology and engineering institutions
> Increase reservation in teacher posts for women to 50 per cent
> Invest ₹1000 crore to launch "women empowerment SHG mission"
> Encourage women entrepreneurs by setting up the state's first "women entrepreneur park"
> Increase widow pension to ₹1500
> Launch "Mission Pink toilet", under which toilets will be built at every institution and existing once will be renovated.
> Provide ₹5 lakh to women sportsperson
> Provide free HPV vaccine and free test for breast and cervical cancer to every girl and women
> Setting up 50,000 sanitary pad vending machines, selling sanitary pads at ₹1
> Provide a kit with 5 liters of pure ghee, iron tablets, zinc and multivitamin tablets to pregnant women and their babies
What Congress has for women and their safety:
To ensure women’s safety in the state, the Congress proposed in its "Jan Ghoshna Patra":
> Installation of CCTV cameras in public spaces; Upgrade youth hostels in each district with separate provision of CCTV cameras and female wardens in girl’s hostels
> Deploying security guards in every village and urban ward
> Reducing the average investigation time in sexual harassment cases
> Setting up women’s courts on the lines of women’s police stations for addressing legal matters concerning women
> Ensure regular visits of police officers, senior administrative officers, and Nirbhaya Squad to schools, colleges, and hostels, especially for girls to address their safety concerns
> Activate the Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) in all government offices, educational institutions, and courts. Regular monitoring of committee meetings
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> Upgrade public spaces like libraries, parks, recreational centers, stadiums, and youth centers to make them safe for women
> Address all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual abuse, dowry issues, and early and forced marriages
> Provide self-defence training to girls to enhance their safety and confidence. The program shall be made mandatory in all government schools
> Monthly free coupon for women to travel on state-owned buses, in addition to existing discounts
> “Smartphone with Internet” to the head of families covered under Mukhyamantri Nishulak Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana
> A scheme for special leave to be availed by women during their menstrual cycle
> Bring 33 per cent reservation for women in cooperative institutions, championing gender equality in cooperative governance
> Target women farmers to encourage homestead gardens and horticulture, recognizing their crucial role in agriculture
> A minimum pension of ₹1,000 per month in case of aged, disabled, or single women
> Griha Lakshi Yojana: This initiative guarantees a sum of ₹10,000 to the women head of the family annually, aiming to provide recognition and financial stability to homemakers
> Strengthen and expand the network of Mahila Gram Seva Cooperative Committees, fostering increased women's participation in cooperatives
> Establish strong partnerships between Gram Panchayats and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), allocating at least 10% of Finance Commission Grants (FFC) to women-centric planning, Kuteer Udyog, and Handicraft tourism
> Empower elected women representatives with essential skills, including financial literacy, and recognize and incentivize best-performing women-led Gram Panchayats
> Establish the Rajasthan Mahila Nidhi as the Apex Institution, providing subsidized loans to women through Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) and benefiting 30 lakh households through agriculture and livestock programs
> Introduce a leadership course under Rajeevika to promote the emergence of next-generation leaders among SHG women members, nurturing leadership skills and empowering them to lead and inspire.
> Intensifying the exchange of experiences among young achievers, PRI leaders, NYK volunteers, NCC, NSS, Scout & Guides, and women SHGs.
> Establishing a dedicated Women's Employment Office at the divisional level to facilitate services for women
> Enhance maternal and child health and nutrition by providing full antenatal care services, promoting institutional delivery, postnatal care, and complete immunization for newborns.
> Propose a scheme for special leave to be availed by women during their menstrual cycle.
> Involve women SHGs in the efficient functioning of public kitchens like Indira Rasois.
> Establish women's hostels in every district to accommodate students and employees
> Generate gender-disaggregated statistics to monitor progress on gender equality
> Women working in the unorganized sector to be a special focus group with separate gender budgeting for their safety and development
> Women working in the unorganized sector to be a special focus group with separate gender budgeting for their safety and development
> Widow/Single mothers to avail of an interest-free loan for the education of their offspring in higher education.
> Reserve 25 per cent of the SC/ST sub-plan for SC/ST women.
> Enforce guidelines and training for police and administration to combat atrocities against Dalit women
> Set a target to increase the representation of women in the police force to 33 per cent of the total strength.
> Allocate specialized units and resources to handle cases involving violence or abuse against women and children.
> Implement outreach and recruitment programs to encourage more women to join law enforcement.
Out of the 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan, 199 will be contested on November 25 as the elections in the Karanpur assembly constituency were adjourned after the Congress candidate from Karanpur, Gurmeet Singh Koonar, passed away due to sepsis. Koonar was the sitting MLA from Karanpur.
In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats, while the BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member House. Gehlot eventually took the oath as CM with the support of BSP MLAs and Independents.
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