Pune Municipal Corporation budget has Rs 20 cr for women, girls

The civic body’s attempt to empower women is apt with this year's International Women’s Day theme: 'A promise is a promise — time for action to end violence against women’. Efforts are under way to set up 15 counselling centres at ward offices. “Last year, as many as 100 cases were referred from five counselling centres to the family court,” H S Nazirkar, Project Director, Urban Community Development, PMC told Newsline.

Problems were manifold — either the woman was harassed at her home by the husband who was alcoholic or there were disputes between neighbours. “Our counselling centres would also have lawyers to help resolve the disputes or refer them to family court,” Nazirkar said. He said focus had been on teaching self-defence techniques to adolescent girls in schools, adding that master trainers were being trained to conduct courses.

A variety of schemes have been given launched to encourage women to undergo vocational training. A total of Rs 1.2 crore was spent last year on 1,200 widows whose family income was less than Rs 1 lakh per annum. “In the last three years, we urged widows to avail

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