New Delhi, March 6 The National Commission for Women will organize nationwide "Jan Sunwai" (public hearings) in around 500 districts between March 8 and March 14 to hear women's grievances and ensure quicker redressal, its chairperson Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar said here on Friday.
Rahatkar noted that the initiative aims to expand the commission's grievance redressal mechanism by holding hearings closer to women across the country.
The hearings will be conducted jointly by the NCW and state women's commissions, she said, adding that the move is intended to strengthen outreach and ensure justice, safety, and equal opportunities for women.
"As part of the campaign, hearings will be held in nearly 500 districts across most states and UTs, where more than 15,000 cases are expected to be taken up, including walk-in cases," Rahatkar said. Some states may not host the program due to elections, she added.
The districts have been selected based on factors such as the number of complaints received and the need to reach remote and hilly areas where access to grievance redressal mechanisms is limited, she said.
Rahatkar informed that she will personally attend the hearings, with the campaign scheduled to begin in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on March 9. She will subsequently visit Vadodara, Gujarat, on March 10, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on March 11, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Telangana, on March 12, Deoghar, Jharkhand, on March 13, and Dumka, Jharkhand, on March 14.
The hearings will also be organized in several districts across states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, she added.
Members of the NCW, as well as chairpersons and members of state women commissions, will also participate in the hearings across districts, she said.
Rahatkar stated that the plan for the nationwide campaign was finalized after discussions during a meeting of state women commissions held in Delhi on January 29 and 30.
She also inaugurated a new conference center at the NCW headquarters, saying it will serve as a platform to strengthen dialogue between the commission and society and help spread awareness about initiatives related to women's empowerment.
"A strong society is one where women feel safe, respected, and confident to move forward," Rahatkar said, adding that the commission will continue working towards this goal.