| Against recommended 33%, state police has 3.12% women | | J&K fails to increase head count of fairer sex in khaki | | Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 5: The repeated advisories of Union government to increase the percentage of women in police force have fallen on deaf ears of state government as against the target of 33 percent; state police have only 3.12 percent women cops, one of the lowest in the country.
According to sources in Home department, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an advisory on 4/9/2009 and again on 22/4/2013 to increase the population of women to 33 percent of the total strength in police force, But as per the latest data issued by Union government, Jammu and Kashmir has only 3.12 percent of women in police force, keeping it among the states, which have achieved little or no progress in recruitment.
As per the latest data, the other states with lowest number of women in police included Assam with 0.93 percent, north eastern states Meghalaya 2.87, Nagaland 1.05, Tripura 3.29, while Bihar 3.40, Gujrat 3.64 and Andhra Pradesh 4.33 percent of the total police force.
The highest percentage of women in police force is in Chandigarh with 14.16 percent, Tamilnadu 12.42, Maharashtra 10.48, Himachal-Pradesh with 11.07percent women beside other states.
Moreover, sources said that the state government was also requested to create additional posts of women constable by converting the vacant posts of male constables into the posts for women constables. "So far the request of Union government has not been conceded completely and the process is still at nascent stage", sources said. They further informed that the advisory of Union government was also aimed that each police station should have at least 3 women sub-inspectors and 10 women police constables, so that a women help desk is manned round the clock. The Parliamentary 'Committee on Empowerment of Women' has also stressed to make presence of women police personnel more visible vis-à-vis their male counterparts so that the gender issues at the local level are addressed more emphatically, sources said.
Sources further informed that an advisory had also been issued on 21/5/2014 to evolve a uniform policy for establishing facilities at the work place so as to mitigate the problems faced by women during the long working hours in police force but so far very minimum has been done by state government.
"It the pace of implementing the advisories of union government emains same, then it will take many decades to increase the percentage of women in police force", an official said, adding that stringent measures must be adopted to implement the advisories. |
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