Kerala Budget focuses on women safety

While announcing the measures in the budget presented in the Assembly, Kerala Finance Minister TM Thomas Issac said, “Atrocities against women are a disgrace to the Malayalee community.” 

Women’s safety came under scanner yet again when a Malayalam actress was harassed for two hours inside her car after the accused forced their way into the vehicle in Kochi recently. 

Issac said Rs 68 crore has been provided for different schemes to prevent atrocities against women and focus on their rehabilitation. This includes Rs 12 crore for ‘Pink Control Room’ and self-defence training and Rs 34 crore for awareness campaigns. 

Besides, Rs 19.5 crore will be allocated for shelter homes, short stay homes and ‘one-stop crisis centre’ and Rs three crore for two SOS model homes. 

A women’s police battalion, women police stations at taluk-level, panchayat-level visits of women police officers, public register for sexual offenders are the other pro-women initiatives in the budget. 

On February 23, Governor Justice (Retd) P Sathasivam had said the Kerala government will launch a registry of sex offenders, the first of its kind in the country. It will contain all identification details of sex offenders and would be kept in public domain. 

The state finance minister today said Rs five crore has been earmarked for a special fund for protection and speedy rehabilitation of victims.