Maneka proposes to set up committee of legal experts to look into #MeToo cases
New Delhi, Oct 12: The Women and Child Development Ministry plans to set up a panel of legal experts to look into the allegations of sexual harassment that have surfaced in the #MeToo campaign, minister Maneka Gandhi said Friday, asserting that she believes in the "pain and trauma" of every complainant.
More women should come out and address the issue of sexual harassment and narrate their experiences, Gandhi said.
"I believe in all of them. I believe in the pain and trauma behind every single complainant," she told PTI in an interview.
Gandhi did not comment on the allegations of sexual harassment against her colleague M J Akbar, who has been accused by several former women colleagues of sexual harassment when he served as editor at various media organisations.
The minister of state for external affairs, film director Sajid Khan and actor Alok Nath are among those accused of sexual misconduct and more.
"I am proposing to set up a committee with senior judicial and legal persons as members to look into all issues emanating from the #MeToo campaign," Gandhi told PTI in an interview.
The committee will look into the legal and institutional framework in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment, including some of the complaints if required, and advise the ministry on how to strengthen these, the WCD minister said.
"It takes a lot for women to come out like this. These cases have been elephants in the rooms for the last 25 years. The question here is how can they prove these after all these years... they have faced verbal assault, they have been touched, pinched, their clothes have been pulled...
"The first thing to do is naming and shaming these monsters. Naming and shaming will go a long way in lessening the pain these women have been carrying," she said.
The next step, she said, is to set up a committee that can listen to the women.
Urging women to come out with their stories, Gandhi said men who sexually harass them depend on them to be shamed into keeping quiet.
She said her ministry has created a woman friendly environment in which they can complain to her directly. Even anonymous complaints will be addressed.
Gandhi said women could complain through the She Box (www.shebox.nic.in), which provides a single window access to every woman, irrespective of her work status to register complaints related to sexual harassment.
Complaints can also be lodged at min-wcd@nic.in, she said. All the cases will be closely monitored by the ministry.
"Regarding taking action against those that are in office, I am really hopeful that the system will react because I believe that these complaints are true," she said.
According to the minister, protecting women has been the watchword of the present government with the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign one of its flagship schemes.
"The prime minister has always given top priority to the rights of women. The first programme that he launched was Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. We don't save our daughters to allow big shots to insult them later in life.
"I will do what I can do to help them," she said, adding that women should raise their voices.
"They should speak out and in one jolt finish off this matter altogether so that men are frightened from ever sexually assaulting or making women uncomfortable."
India's #MeToo movement, which started with Tanushree Dutta alleging that actor Nana Patekar harassed her during a film shoot in 2008, has escalated sharply with increasing numbers of women coming forward with their complaints.
Demands for action against Akbar have also been rising.
While most BJP leaders and ministers have refrained from commenting, on Thursday, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani said Akbar himself would be better positioned to speak on the issue.
She urged people not to mock women speaking out against the harassment meted out to them.
"That is my only appeal to everybody who is witnessing this surge of outpouring of emotion, of anger on the internet and offline also," she said in Mumbai.
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Minister Muniyappa asks hotels to wait for a week to overcome LPG crunch
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa on Wednesday said the state is facing an acute shortage of LPG cylinders for commercial use, with limited supplies forcing the government to prioritise essential sectors while asking hotels and eateries to temporarily switch to alternative arrangements.
He said the crisis has arisen due to supply constraints at the national level, with shipments stuck overseas, and that the state is making efforts to manage distribution until the situation normalises.
“We have very limited supply for restaurants, dhabas, hotels and industries, only about 1,000 cylinders. It has become very difficult to decide who should get how much from these 1,000 cylinders,” Muniyappa said in the Karnataka Legislative Council.
Citing the reason behind the shortage, he said, “The Central government is making efforts and is in constant touch with Iran. Around 16 ships are in queue and are not being released. If they are released, the situation will ease and return to normal.”
The minister said the government has urged commercial establishments to adjust operations.
“I have called a meeting of hotel owners and told them that for a week they must adjust, even if it means using electricity. This is a difficult situation, a war-like scenario, and the hoteliers should manage by using electricity for the time being,” he said.
Muniyappa said the state plans to streamline supplies by pooling available stock over a week.
“We will consolidate these 1,000 cylinders over a week and increase them to around 10,000 to 15,000 cylinders. I will call the association and discuss how to distribute them,” he said, adding that further consultations will be held next week.
Emphasising that domestic consumers remain the top priority, he said household supply will not be disrupted under any circumstances. “Priority is for domestic use. Household supply cannot be stopped at any cost. Every day, about 3,52,921 cylinders are being consumed,” he said, noting that oil marketing companies are continuing daily distribution.
The minister said the main challenge lies in commercial allocation, which has been capped by the Centre.
“The central government has allowed only 20 per cent allocation. The daily requirement for commercial cylinders is 44,000. Arrangements have been made to supply about 9,000 cylinders,” he said.
He detailed the prioritisation plan evolved in consultation with oil companies.
“We are providing 4,200 cylinders to educational institutions, student hostels, hospitals and other essential institutions,” he said.
In addition, about 1,200 cylinders are being supplied to government-run facilities and key public service points.
“For government PHU institutions, canteens located at airports, railway stations and bus stations, as well as Indira canteens, we are supplying about 1,200 cylinders as per their full requirement."
According to Muniyappa, certain sectors critical to the economy are also being supported.
“For seed processing, food processing, agriculture and allied sectors, pharmaceutical industry, fisheries, zoological parks, sports and sports hostels. Around 500 cylinders are being provided,” he said.
Responding to concerns raised by legislators, he said temporary relief measures have been extended during the ongoing Assembly session.
“As long as the Assembly session continues, we will provide about 50 per cent of their requirement. We cannot provide more than that, but considering the urgency, this arrangement has been made,” he added.
