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Madhya Pradesh government offers Rs 2 lakh to those who marry a widow to encourage widow remarriage
In a bid to endorse widow remarriage, the Madhya Pradesh government has proposed a first of its kind initiative to offer Rs. 2 lakh to those who marry a widow. The MP government is offering a monetary incentive for those who marry a widow between the age of 18-45 years, given that it must be […]
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare publishes draft rules under Mental Healthcare Act
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued draft Rules and Regulations under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. Apart from stating the procedure for registration of mental health establishments, method of constitution of the Mental Health Review Boards, the rules delegate the responsibility of setting up half-way homes, sheltered accommodations, supported accommodations, hospitals and rehabilitation […]
SHe-Box: Sexual Harassment electronic box launched for registering Sexual Harassment at Workplace complaints
The Ministry of Women & Child Development has launched an online complaint management system titled Sexual Harassment electronic–Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace, purportedly, to ensure effective implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (the SHW Act), 2013 by encouraging reporting through ease of access to an […]
Parliamentary Panel releases report on Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016
The Parliamentary Panel released a report critiquing the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016. While the report suggested that surrogacy in India must be regulated, referring to the socio-economic differences and power differential between the surrogates and the intending parents, it criticized the Bill on many counts. The bill limits the availability of surrogacy services to couples […]
New Parliamentary report on Transgender Rights finds crucial gaps in draft law
The Social Justice and Empowerment Committee has released its report on the draft Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill. Since the introduction of the draft bill in August last year, various human rights organizations and activists had raised concerns over some of its provisions. The new report addresses the concerns raised, noting the bill’s failure […]
Legal obstacles to slaughter of cattle assume new forms in the wake of cow protection discourse
In March 2017, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government had issued orders for the closure of illegal slaughterhouses in the state, following the electoral victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. Given that trade in cattle meat in UP is largely carried out by unregulated small establishments, implementation of this order effected a near […]
India ratifies key ILO conventions to end child labour
India has ratified two key conventions on child labour at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, a step towards complete prohibition of child labour. This has been done months after amendment to the Child Labour Act and includes Convention 138, which sets minimum age for admission to employment and Convention 182, which penalises and prohibits the […]
Ill-conceived affirmative action forces transgender persons to give up employment with Kochi metro
In a widely advertised move, Kochi Metro’s employment of 23 transgender persons for various jobs including housekeeping, ticket vending, customer relations, etc, exposed identities of many who were not ready to ‘out’ themselves. In the absence of providing housing facilities, the opportunity backfired as most of the transgender employees were unable to find rented accommodation […]
MWCD’s reader on safe childhood asks parents to monitor children’s texting
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has developed advisory guidelines for parents, teachers and the community , on “Raising Happy Children and Providing Safe Childhoods”,. It recommends parental monitoring of children’s conversations on phone as a means of tackling sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour, advising greater privacy once children reach 16-17 years of […]
Sikkim High Court to consider the unconstitutionality of the Sikkim Succession Act, 2008
Several Sikkimese women have filed a petition in High Court challenging the Sikkim Succession Act, 2008 for being discriminatory. Although the Sikkim Succession Act, 2008grants daughters and wives equal rights to hold and inherit property, it denies these rights to women married to non-Sikkimese men, or those who have acquired foreign citizenship. Immovable assets of […]