The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body of the Government of India, which advises the government on all policy matters affecting women generally. It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of the Indian Constitution, as defined in the National Commission for Women Act 1990. The first chairperson of the NCW was Jayanti Patnaik. As of 7 August 2018, Rekha Sharma is the Chairperson of NCW.
National Commission of Women’s Activities
NCW aims to represent women’s rights in India and provide a voice for their issues and concerns. The topics of her campaigns include dowry, politics, religion, equal representation for women in jobs and exploitation of women for labour. They also discussed police misconduct against women.
The Commission regularly publishes a monthly newspaper, Rashtra Mahila, in both Hindi and English.
Functions of the National Commission for Women
The functions of the National Commission for Women UPSC include:
- To review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women.
- Recommending remedial legislative measures.
- So that it becomes easier to resolve complaints.
- To advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.
- Women welfare-related schemes are running under the supervision of the NCW.
The NCW implements the following schemes for the welfare of women:
- Beti Padhao Beti Bachao Yojana
- One-Stop Center Scheme
- Nirbhaya scheme
- Swadhar Yojana
- Ujjwala Yojana
Legal Protection Measures for Women
The Government has taken the following measures regarding the legal protection of women:
- Women Protection from Domestic Violence Act 2005.
- Dowry Prohibition Act 1961.
- Sexual Harassment of Women in Office (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013.
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act 2012.
Main Headlines
The main headlines related to the National Commission for Women UPSC are as follows:
- Taking into account the status of women in India, they recommended forming an NCW about 50 years ago.
- They established the NCW on 31 January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act 1990.
- At the time of formation of the commission, Jayanti Patnaik played the role of chairperson.
- They established the National Commission for Women as an apex statutory body for women.
- The Central Government appoints the Chairperson of the NCW.
- The NCW comprises a Chairperson, a Member Secretary and five other members.
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