Hyderabad: The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has written to all the States, Union Territories (UTs), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Ministry of Civil Aviation and Railway Board to establish feeding rooms and changing rooms for women and children in public places from time to time.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has informed that 164 and 148 feeding rooms and changing rooms have been set up at airports under Airports Authority of India (AAI) and non-AAI airports respectively. Further, the MoRTH has forwarded the information provided by the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings according to which feeding rooms were available in 26 bus stations in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), two bus stations in Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) in Coimbatore and 50 bus stations in Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC).
The States and UTs including Delhi, Goa, Chandigarh and Meghalaya have also reported action taken in this regard.
An advisory has also been sent by Secretary, MWCD to Secretaries of all Ministries, Departments and Chief Secretaries of all State government and UT administrations regarding the need to create gender friendly spaces in public places for ensuring the well-being and to cater to the needs of working women within and outside the office premises to encourage their full and meaningful participation in the economy.
The advisory includes an indicative list of activities to create gender friendly spaces in workplaces of Ministries and departments along with their affiliated institutions as outlined below:
Installation of sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators in washrooms to address the fundamental menstrual hygiene needs of female employees, allocating space for feeding rooms, restrooms and yoga rooms and establishing at least one creche facilities in every public building having 50 or more employees to support working mothers.
The Ministry implements ‘Palna’ component under Mission Shakti for all States and UTs, under which providing day care facilities and protection to children is the main focus area. Under Palna, the Ministry has extended free services of childcare through Anganwadi cum Crèches (AWCC).
As on date, 11,395 AWCCs across 34 States and UTs have been approved, as per proposals received from various States and UTs. This information was given by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question on Wednesday.
