Ministries release advisories to support women in the workforce

In line with the government’s mission of enhancing nari shakti, towards women-led development, the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Labour and Employment jointly hosted an event, Saksham Nari Sakshat Bharat–Women in the Workforce for a Viksit Bharat on Tuesday at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The stage was set for a collaboration between the two ministries to chart a path for women-led development, by adopting a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach, said a release from Press Information Bureau.

The event was chaired by Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, and Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Labour and Employment, in the presence of Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State, Ministry of Women and Child Development and AYUSH.

Representatives from Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and Ministry of Education, and representatives from the network of industry organisations—Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), ASSOCHAM, PHDCII, SCOPE, and UN organisations UNICEF, UN Women and ILO were also present at the event.

Over 2.5 lakh participants from both the industry and various states and union territories tuned in via webcast, according to the release.

The event saw the release of an advisory by the Ministry of Labour and Employment that aims at promoting gender equality and women's workforce participation to strengthen women empowerment.

The press release said that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, along with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, issued advisories for women workforce participation and safety in the building, construction, and highways sectors.

Along with the release of an employer rating survey within the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, these advisories will help employers support women and increase their participation in the workforce.

Another highlight of the event was the release of the National Minimum Standards and Protocol for Creches (Operation and Management) by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

This will lay down guidelines for individuals, service agencies, corporations, companies, universities, hospitals, care service providers, government organisations, and non-governmental organisations mandated under various acts and rules of the Government of India to set up creches.

Minister Irani highlighted several key features of the guidelines and appreciated the initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in ensuring that women construction workers are paid online directly through their bank accounts, eliminating exploitation.

She stated, “We are proudly a part of digital democracy under the leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister and today more than 24 crore women across the country have bank accounts.”

The minister emphasised the importance of the advisory, which mandates that migrant women workers be given facilities.

She backed this by quoting that, under the POSHAN scheme, every anganwadi has been digitally empowered. More than 10 crore beneficiaries are attached to the Poshan Tracker, and special provision to provide services to migrant women are built into it. Over 1.10 lakh migrant women have availed themselves of the scheme without disruption, she added.

She also elaborated that, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the advisory mandated 26 weeks of maternity leave for building and construction workers.

The two ministries have also jointly proposed to the Ministry of Education that central universities can get support to build hostels, within the universities, for women who are pursuing higher studies and working; seven universities have submitted their proposals.

The event also saw corporates including Hindustan Unilever, Aditya Birla Capital, Pernod Ricard, Randstad, Saint Gobain, and Tata Chemicals showcase their good practices in fostering gender-inclusive workspaces.