On Women's Day, Karnataka govt announces six-months child care leave for female employees
Bengaluru, Mar 8: On international women's day, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurapps on Monday announced a proposal to provide six-months child care leave to women employees of the Government.
He also announced a grant of Rs 37,188 crore for women oriented programmes.
Presenting the 2021-22 budget in the Legislative Assembly, he proposed upgradation of Anganwadis situated in Bengaluru and other cities into creches for the benefit of urban working women.
Action would be taken to open creches in two major government offices in each district centre, the Chief Minister said, announcing a slew of initiatives benefiting women.
"Women employees of the state government will be given a total of six months child care leave along with maternity leave which is already in existence. This will be a supplementary step towards the welfare of women who are a very important part of the administrative machinery," he said.
Yediyurappa announced loan facility of up to Rs two crore at a subsidised rate of four per cent through Woman Development Board/Karnataka State Finance Corporation to women entrepreneurs in the service sector.
The government also announced support through Panchayat Raj institutions for the establishment of 6,000 micro enterprises for rural women self-help groups under 'Sanjeevini'; to benefit 60,000 women.
Technical support to small enterprises of women was announced by the government which also proposed encouragement to 25,000 women through 2,260 micro enterprises.
The government also proposed to provide market to the products manufactured by women self-help groups and women entrepreneurs, organisation of annual fares at divisional level and implementation of e-market facility.
Yediyurappa announced commencement of 'Vanitha Sangathi' programme for providing BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus pass at concessional rate to women labourers of garment sector in Bengaluru at an expenditure of Rs 30 crore.
It also proposed re-examination of various laws and rules for creation of conducive environment for women taking up employment.
Action was also proposed to incorporate gender budget and child budget in the Panchayat Raj system.
Yediyurappa also announced fixing of 7,500 cameras in public places of Bengaluru city under safe city project; action to intensify night beats through technology based e- beat system.
It also proposed establishment of centre of excellence in collaboration with NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) and National Law School for giving assistance and guidance to women subjected to atrocity.
For the women who have obtained licence from Agricultural Produce Market Committee, 10 per cent reservation was proposed in the allotment of site, godown, shop, shop-cum-godowns in the premises.
The government proposed to support women entrepreneurs by implementation of the 'Elevate Women Entrepreneurship' programme at an expenditure of Rs five crore.
Implementation of a self-help group policy to strengthen self-help groups and their federation of the State was also announced along with action to bring all the self-help groups under the livelihood mission.
Commencement of 'Women Protection and Empowerment Mission' was proposed under the direct supervision of the Chief Minister.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Ruckus outside counting centre in Mamata's constituency, TMC claims entry of car with BJP flag
Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.
The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.
With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.
Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".
On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.
"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.
The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.
A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.
On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents
In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.
On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.
The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.
BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".
"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.
