Mumbai: Single women in India often face unfair questions and stigma in a deep-rooted patriarchal society.
But there’s good news for single women in Maharashtra as the Mahayuti government led by Devendra Fadnavis is set to introduce an exclusive policy for them.
In a first-of-its-kind move in India, has approved the formation of a draft committee to prepare the ‘Single Women Policy’ which is aimed to ensure social, economic, educational and health empowerment for single women across the state.
Women and Child Development minister Aditi Tatkare, who is spearheading the unique initiative, wants to create a dedicated framework that will help single women access government welfare schemes effectively and address their long-standing concerns through a focused policy.
The new policy will benefit widows, divorced, deserted and unmarried women who have to regularly confront social and economic challenges because of the absence of structured support systems.
The committee will be chaired by the Commissioner of the Women and Child Development Commissionerate, Pune, and will include senior officials from Education, Social Justice, Labour, Agriculture, Tribal Development, Urban & Rural Development, Skill Development, Health and Legal Services departments.
The minister said the policy will serve as a transformative framework for long-term empowerment. She said that the vision outlined by veteran leader Ajit Pawar will take concrete shape under Fadnavis’ leadership, making Maharashtra a pioneer state in recognising and addressing the specific needs of single women through a dedicated state policy.
