Mumbai: From quota in state-owned housing schemes to discounts in insurance schemes and concessions in taxes, a slew of sops and incentives are in store for women in Maharashtra under the state’s fourth policy for women, which is expected to be rolled out soon.
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The policy, which has been approved by the cabinet and the two deputy chief ministers and is awaiting chief minister Eknath Shinde’s nod, proposes maternity and paternity leave in semi-government as well as private firms. The government may share the financial burden with firms allocating such leave, along the lines of Singapore. The policy also recommends promotion of work from home for pregnant women in government and private sector firms. Maternity benefits and a welfare fund under the district magistrate have also been mooted for the informal sector.
When the policy came up for discussion in a cabinet meeting in mid-December, the women and child welfare department (WCD) suggested leave for women during their menstrual periods. But this was deemed unreasonable by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and others, who said the policy should not contain anything that could prove counterproductive or pose hurdles in the functioning of the administration, said an official from the department. The provision was dropped from the policy before it was sent to the deputy chief ministers and the chief minister for their approval, the official added.
However, a provision for paid leave for women engaged in sugarcane cutting during their periods is part of the new policy; it has been included owing to complaints of women being made to toil in the field even during their menstrual cycle.
During the discussion in the cabinet, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had recommended additional incentives to industrial units with more than 30% women workers, along the lines of practices prevalent in mega industrial projects. But the provision was opposed by the finance department and the chief secretary citing financial burden on the exchequer.
The new policy, however, includes a host of incentives to boost entrepreneurship among women, such as 10% discount in local taxes for all-women hotels, 10% exemption from professional tax, and 10% reservation in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) plots for women-led enterprises, with priority for women from reserved categories. It also recommends equal division of a worker’s pension between his parents and wife after his death.
The policy has made it mandatory for marriages in rural areas to be registered by producing the birth certificates of the bride and the groom. It also proposes 30% reservation for women and girls in sports, vocational, arts and science education. To curb the dropout rate among school-going tribal girls, it has a provision for financial assistance to address the barriers faced by these girls in accessing education.
Surendra P Gangan is Senior Assistant Editor with political bureau of Hindustan Times’ Mumbai Edition. He covers state politics and Maharashtra government’s administrative stories. Reports on the developments in finances, agriculture, social sectors among others.Read More
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