Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 6: In order to achieve gender equality and justice and ensure holistic development of women folk, the State Government is setting up State Mission Authority and the formal orders in this regard will be issued very shortly by the General Administration Department as the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has already given his approval.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that on the lines of National Mission for Empowerment of Women, the State Government will shortly set-up State Mission Authority to strengthen the overall processes that promote all round development of women folk across Jammu and Kashmir.
After completing necessary exercise in this direction, Social Welfare Department recently submitted the proposal to the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who has now given his approval, sources said, adding very shortly the file will reach the General Administration Department through Social Welfare Department for issuance of formal orders.
The State Mission Authority will work for the empowerment of women socially, economically and educationally and strengthen the purposes that promote all round development of womenfolk through coordination as well as convergence of schemes and programmes of various departments, sources said.
The Mission will provide a single window service for all programmes run by the Government for women under various Ministries and departments. It will also act as a repository of knowledge, information, research and data on all gender related issues, sources further said, adding the Mission will also forge synergy between various stakeholders and create an enabling environment conducive to social change.
About the composition of the State Mission Authority, sources said that Chief Minister will be its Chairman while as Ministers of Social Welfare Department, Hous- ing and Urban Development Department, Finance, Rural Development, Forest and Environment, Agriculture, Revenue, Health, Industries and Commerce and Higher and Technical Education Departments besides Chairperson of State Commission for Women will be its members.
The Authority would have the powers to co-opt three eminent members of civil society as its members.
About the key strategies, sources said that the Mission will facilitate inter-sector convergence of schemes meant for women, monitor and review the progress on regular basis, strengthen institutional framework offering support service for women, enhance economic empowerment of girls and women through skill development, micro credit, vocational training and entrepreneurship and Self Help Group development.
It will also evolve appropriate and localized communication with the support of community representatives and groups to strengthen public education on gender, behaviour change and social mobilization, sources said while disclosing that Hafeeza Muzaffar has been nominated as Project Coordinator for the State Mission Authority.
It is pertinent to mention here that National Mission for Empowerment of Women was set up in 2010 but several States are still lagging behind as far as constitution of State Mission Authorities is concerned.
The State Mission Authority would be a second major step of the State Government towards redressing the injustice with the womenfolk. The Government has already enacted law to check domestic violence against the women and Child Development Project Officers of the Social Welfare Department have been nominated as Protection Officers.
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