Lok Sabha Question No. 114 (STARRED), answered on 2017-12-22
Subject: National Commission for Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.114

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.12.2017

## NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN

## 114. SHRI RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the major achievements of the National Commission for Women during the last five years and the current year;
- (b) the details of powers wielded by the Commission;
- (c) whether the Government has proposed to give more powers to the Commission to address the growing atrocities on women;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the action taken by the Government during the last five years; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI)

- (a)       to (e):  A statement is laid on the table of the House.

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  THE  LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *114 FOR 22.12.2017 REGARDING NATIONAL  COMMISSION  FOR  WOMEN  BY  SHRI  RAYAPATI  SAMBASIVA RAO

- (a) The National Commission for Women (NCW) has in accordance with its mandate, been taking a number  of  steps for empowering  women  and  ensuring  their  effective partnership in all sphere of life. This includes creation of an environment conducive for realization of their potential in terms of safeguarding and promoting the constitutional and  legal  safeguards,  enhanced  awareness  about  their  rights  and  entitlements  and dissemination  of  information  through  seminars,  legal  awareness  programmes  and workshops in partnership with various stakeholders. The Commission  has also undertaken  special  studies  and  research  studies  to  examine  various  factors  that  could help in ameliorating the lot of the women and enhancing their partnership in economic activities.  It  has  also  established  mechanism  for  redressal  of  the  complaints  of  the women  especially  those  who  find  it  difficult  to  access  justice  for  various  reasons. Further, in order to ensure that the police authorities are able to handle women related issues effectively and with sensitivity, the Commission also organizes Capacity Building and Gender Sensitization Programmes for them. The Commission has also taken up the projects  relating  to  (i)  Violence  Free  Homes;  and  (ii)  Empowerment  of  Elected Representatives of Women. Brief of quantifiable activities undertaken by the Commission is at Annexure-I.
- (b) The  National  Commission  for  Women  (NCW)  draws  its  powers  under  the  National Commission  for  Women  Act,  1990.  The  functions  entrusted  to  the  Commission  and powers vested in the Commission are detailed in Section 10 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. Relevant extracts of the Section are at Annexure-II.
- (c) to (e)  The National Commission for Women has adequate powers to fulfill its mandate. In  accordance  with  its  mandate,  the  Commission  is  playing  a  constructive  role  in empowering  women  and  improving  their  socio-economic  conditions.  Accordingly  no changes are envisaged in the powers and authority of the Commission at this stage.

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## Annexure referred to in replied to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 114 for 22.12.2017 regarding National Commission for Women.

## Achievements of the National Commission for Women for the last five years and current year

## A. Number of complaints handled :

|   S. No. | Year                        | No. of Cases registered*   |   Disposed off |
|----------|-----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------|
|        1 | 2012-2013                   | 20,074                     |           9431 |
|        2 | 2013-2014                   | 22,422                     |          10595 |
|        3 | 2014-2015                   | 32,118                     |          17125 |
|        4 | 2015-2016                   | 24,379                     |          11510 |
|        5 | 2016-2017                   | 17,290                     |           7916 |
|        6 | 2017-2018 (Till 18.12.2017) | 10,595                     |           7538 |

## B. Educational and promotional activities:

|   S. No. | Year                                                                                                           | 2012-13   |   2013-14 | 2014-15   | 2015-16   | 2016-17   | 2017-18*   |
|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------|
|        1 | Law Reviews                                                                                                    | 03        |        03 | 10        | 09        | 06        | -          |
|        2 | Capacity Building Programme of Police officials/Gender Sensitization Programme of Police and Judicial officers | 05        |        04 | 05        | 03        | 06        | 04         |
|        3 | Seminars/ workshops/ conferences/consultat ions in the Commission                                              | 149       |       176 | 62        | 59        | 58        | 20         |
|        4 | Interactions with State Commissions for Women                                                                  | -         |        03 | 04        | 03        | 01        | 03         |
|        5 | Research/ Studies Undertaken                                                                                   | 23        |        10 | 15        | 27        | 10        | 02         |
|        6 | Number of Legal Awareness Programmes                                                                           | 308       |       676 | 265       | 176       | 190       | 71         |
|        7 | PMLA                                                                                                           | 70        |        06 | 30        | -         | -         | -          |
|        8 | MoUs Signed                                                                                                    | -         |        01 | -         | 02        | -         | -          |
|        9 | Jan Sunwai                                                                                                     | 19        |        16 | 06        | 16        | 29        | 20         |

- C. Number of Suo-Motu cases handled:
- D. Number of Non-Resident Indian cases handled:

|   S. No. | Year                        |   No. of cases taken up |   No. of ATR replies received |   No. of cases Disposed |
|----------|-----------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------|
|        1 | 2012-13                     |                     200 |                            80 |                      54 |
|        2 | 2013-14                     |                     243 |                            69 |                      44 |
|        3 | 2014-15                     |                     249 |                            79 |                      93 |
|        4 | 2015-16                     |                     176 |                            39 |                      12 |
|        5 | 2016-17                     |                     291 |                           156 |                      28 |
|        6 | 2017- 18 (Till 19.12.20 17) |                     103 |                            73 |                      19 |

|   S. No. | Year      |   No. of cases registered |
|----------|-----------|---------------------------|
|        1 | 2012-13   |                       395 |
|        2 | 2013-14   |                       366 |
|        3 | 2014-15   |                       443 |
|        4 | 2015-16   |                       436 |
|        5 | 2016-17   |                       496 |
|        6 | 2017- 18* |                       375 |

## *Till 19.12.2017

- E. Inspection of Prisons:

|   S. No. | Year     | No. of Jail visits   |
|----------|----------|----------------------|
|        1 | 2012-13  | 19                   |
|        2 | 2013-14  | 16                   |
|        3 | 2014-15  | 06                   |
|        4 | 2015-16  | 16                   |
|        5 | 2016-17  | 07                   |
|        6 | 2017- 18 | 02*                  |

*As per the data compiled till date.

- F. In addition to above, the National Commission for Women also undertakes inspection of Mental hospitals/Psychiatric Institutions, etc.

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## Annexure  referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (b)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Starred  Question  No.  114  for 22.12.2017 regarding National Commission for Women

## CHAPTER-III

## FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION

## Section 10 in the National Commission for Women Act, 1990

10. Functions of the Commission.-
- (1) The Commission shall perform all or any of the following functions, namely:-
3. (a)  investigate  and  examine  all  matters  relating  to  the  safeguards  provided  for  women  under  the Constitution and other laws;
4. (b)  present  to  the  Central  Government,  annually  and  at  such  other  times  as  the  Commission  may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards;
5. (c) make in such reports recommendations for the effective implementation of those safeguards for improving the conditions of women by the Union or any State;
6. (d) review, from time to time, the existing provisions of the Constitution and other laws affecting women and recommend amendments thereto so as to suggest remedial legislative measures to meet any lacunae, inadequacies or shortcomings in such legislations;
7. (e) take up the cases of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating to women with the appropriate authorities;
8. (f) look into complaints and take suo moto notice of matters relating to-
9. (i) deprivation of women's rights;
10. (ii)  non-implementation  of  laws  enacted  to  provide  protection  to  women  and  also  to  achieve  the objective of equality and development;
11. (iii) non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships and ensuring welfare and providing relief to women,
12. (g)  call  for  special  studies  or  investigations  into  specific  problems  or  situations  arising  out  of discrimination  and  atrocities  against  women  and  identify  the  constraints  so  as  to  recommend strategies for their removal;
13. (h)  undertake  promotional  and  educational  research  so  as  to  suggest  ways  of  ensuring  due representation  of  women  in  all  spheres  and  identify  factors  responsible  for  impeding  their advancement, such as, lack of access to housing and basic services, inadequate support services and technologies for reducing drudgery and occupational health hazards and for increasing their productivity;
14. (i) participate and advise on the planning process of socio-economic development of women;
15. (j) evaluate the progress of the development of women under the Union and any State;
16. (k)  inspect  or  cause  to  be  inspected  a  jail,  remand  home  women's  institution  or  other  place  of custody  where  women  are  kept  as  prisoners  or  otherwise,  and  take  up  with  the  concerned authorities for remedial action, if found necessary;
17. (l) fund litigation involving issues affecting a large body of women;
18. (m) make periodical reports to the Government on any matter pertaining to women and in particular various difficulties under which women toil;
19. (n) any other matter which may be referred to it by the Central Government.
- (2) The Central Government shall cause all the reports referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1) to be laid before each House of Parliament along with a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations relating to the Union and the reasons for the non-acceptance, if any, of any of such recommendations.
- (3) Where any such report or any part thereof relate to any matter with which any State Government is  concerned,  the  Commission  shall  forward  a  copy  of  such  report  or  part  to  such  State Government  who  shall  cause  it  to  be  laid  before  the  Legislature  of  the  State  along  with  a memorandum  explaining  the  action  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  on  the  recommendations relating to the State and the reasons for the non-acceptance, if any, of any of such recommendations.
- (4) The Commission shall, while investigating any matter referred to in clause (a) or sub-clause (f) of sub-section (1), have all the powers of a civil court trying a suit and, in particular, in respect of the following matters, namely:-
23. (a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining him on oath;
24. (b) requiring the discovery and production of any document;
25. (c) receiving evidence on affidavits;
26. (d) requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office;
27. (e) issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents; and
28. (f) any other matter which may be prescribed.

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