Delhi CM assures early reconstitution of women's commission

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday promised early reconstitution of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) for quick redressal of grievances of women in distress.

Speaking to mediapersons after inaugurating a 'Mahila Maha Jan Sunwai', CM Gupta said the 1,500 pending cases related to women will be taken up in this five-day camp for the speedy delivery of justice.

Her comments about a planned turnaround of the DCW came against the backdrop of the women’s panel slipping into a state of decay due to alleged irregularities in contract appointments by the previous AAP government.

As per the DCW Act, 1994, the panel consists of a chairperson, five members nominated by the government and a bureaucrat as its member-secretary. The currently defunct DCW has no nominated officer bearers since July 2024, and its three helplines have remained dysfunctional for months. The three-year tenure of the Commission’s nominated chairperson, member secretary and three members ended last year.

Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal resigned as the panel’s chief after she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. The Commission, with an annual budget of around Rs 25 crore, has also faced a funding crunch for months.

Last year, the Women and Child Development of the Delhi government ordered the discontinuation of services of 223 contract workers in the DCW. The decision was based on the findings of a panel alleging irregularities in the appointment of contractual staff.

Earlier, talking about the 'Mahila Maha Jan Sunwai', CM Gupta said the special camp marks a good beginning to address pending matters related to women.

“The entire team of the National Women's Commission will give an urgent hearing to all pending cases of Delhi over five days. There are about 1,500 pending cases. The National President of the Women’s Commission for personal monitoring and police are also present,” she said.

“An attempt will be made to dispose of as many cases as possible and give justice to all those women who are in distress and suffering,” said CM Gupta, reiterating the Delhi government’s commitment to ensure safety for women and promising them cooperation from the entire Delhi administration.

Earlier, in a post on Monday on her social media handle on X, the CM wrote, “In a spirit of service in every work, thinking of public interest in every decision. Solving every problem of the public is our duty as well as our top priority. Imbibing this sentiment, today, on the occasion of the public hearing, I listened to the problems of citizens, understood them and gave instructions to officials for their immediate solution.”

“Our government, by listening to the people seriously, is always ready to work in the public interest with full commitment,” she said.

--IANS

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