Thiruvananthapuram, February 11 The Kerala cabinet on Wednesday approved the Women's Policy 2026, aimed at ensuring comprehensive gender justice and transforming the state into a fully women-centric society.
The cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, gave approval to the new policy, which is a revised version of the 2009 women's policy, tailored to contemporary needs to shape "Nava Kerala" into a women-centric state.
The policy has been formulated by prioritizing various sectors in line with various contemporary needs, including women's safety, labor rights, legal protection, tribal communities, and coastal regions, it said.
In a statement, Health Minister Veena George said the draft was prepared by an 11-member Gender Council under the leadership of the Women and Child Development Department.
The core objective of the policy is to eliminate discrimination faced by women, regardless of caste, religion, or gender, and to ensure their equal participation in all spheres of society, she said.
George said the policy proposes to ensure equal representation of women in governance, legislative bodies, and high-level decision-making committees, and to implement gender justice in employment, education, and health sectors.
"It also aims to promote gender-friendly and democratic spaces in families, educational institutions, cultural spheres, and public spaces," she said.
In the education sector, a special gender protocol will be formulated for institutions, and lessons on gender equality will be included in the school curriculum, in accordance with the new policy.
Measures such as strengthening self-defense and sports training for girls, establishing childcare centers and breastfeeding centers in higher education institutions, and making campuses gender-friendly through staff training have been proposed under the policy.
The policy also envisages the complete eradication of the dowry system within five years, she said, adding that innovative programs will be introduced to equip women with skills in emerging technologies.
Healthcare institutions from primary health centers to medical colleges will be made women-friendly, and special measures will be taken for elderly women, in view of the state's changing demographic profile.
Special health and education packages will also be implemented in Dalit, tribal, and coastal areas, George detailed.
A gender state monitoring committee, headed by the Chief Minister, will be constituted to review the progress of the policy.
A "gender resource person" will be appointed in all government departments to ensure its effective implementation, George added in the statement.
