Proposals for implementation of Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme approved

The proposal from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh for the implementation of Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme has been approved by the union government.
Haryana was the first state to adopt the initiative of Mahila Police Volunteer at Karnal and Mahindergarh District on a pilot basis under the Nirbhaya Fund during the financial year 2016-2017.

Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme

The Mahila Police Volunteer was initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The salient features of the scheme are:

• A Mahila Police Volunteer could be any woman who is socially and voluntarily committed towards empowerment of women and girls, willing to raise her voice against gender-based violence and support the police in creating a gender just society free from violence.
• A Mahila Police Volunteer should be minimum 21 years of age and possess at least 12th pass certificate.
• A Mahila Police Volunteer must be from the same geographical area and conversant with the local dialects.
• No criminal proceedings must have been instituted against her and she must not have been convicted or imprisoned for the violation of any criminal law.
• A Mahila Police Volunteer should not be a member of any political party.
• The Mahila Police Volunteers in the States/UTs will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress.
• There will be one Mahila Police Volunteer per Gram Panchayat.
• Mahila Police volunteers will directly report to the Circle Inspector in the Police Thana.
• The Mahila Police volunteers are required to mobilize the community to form Mahila and Shishu Rakshak Dals (MASRD) to act as community watch groups.
• The broad mandate of the Mahila Police Volunteer is to report incidences of violence against women such as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry harassment and violence faced by women in public spaces.
• A Mahila Police Volunteer is an honorary position and they are paid an honorarium of Rs 1,000 per month.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has requested Chief Secretaries of all States and UTs to adopt this initiative in their respective States.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2018