5-year term sought for SCW head, members

OST Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Nov 29:

The tenure of the Chairperson and Members of State Commission for Women (SCW) should be increased to five years instead of the present three years, Commission member Snigdha Panigarhi opined here on Friday.

Participating in a State-level consultation on the status of SCW organised by the Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) here on Friday, Panigrahi also called for more powers to the SCW.

“A three-year term is a very short period for the SCW Chairperson and Members to act effectively and resolve cases in time,” she said. Enhancement of the tenure of members and the powers of the commission, backed by adequate manpower, will enable the SCW to act proactively to protect the socio-economic interests and rights of women,” she added.

The view of the SCW Member assumes significance in the wake of the adverse remark made about the SCW by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on the SCW in the context of the recent murder of Tikiri UP School teacher Itishree Pradhan.

Participating in the event, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) State head Ambika Prasad Nanda laid emphasis on mass awareness and public discourse to make all excluded and marginalised communities, including womeny, aware about their duties and rights.

PACS programme manager Priyanka Dale urged the State Government to constitute SC and ST and Minorities Commissions on the lines of the State Commission for Women in the larger interests of the marginalised people.