Over 7,010 ‘She Toilets’ constructed in Telangana

7,010 ‘She Toilets’ have been constructed on a war footing throughout the State

Hyderabad: It is not only the health and security of the women but also equal importance was given to their education by the State government, said Finance Minister T Harish Rao here on Thursday.

To solve this problem 7,010 ‘She Toilets’ have been constructed on a war footing throughout the State. A decision has been taken to construct toilets for women in all police stations. For the construction of She Toilets in police stations and address the difficulties being faced by Women Police Officers, visitors and accused women, a provision of Rs 20 crore is proposed in the Budget apart from Rs 10 crore proposed for construction of She Toilets in universities keeping in view the hardships of women professors, staff and students.

“Pregnant women require rest and at the advanced stage of pregnancy, no woman should face the problem of going to work. This is life-threatening to both the pregnant woman and unborn baby,” he said, adding that the government was paying Rs 4,000 each in three phases totalling Rs 12,000 to a pregnant woman. In the event of the birth of a girl child, an additional amount of Rs 1,000 is given. As a result of the scheme, the number of institutional deliveries has increased significantly.

Female and infant mortality rates have also come down. After the delivery, KCR kit containing 15 items of use for the mother and the child is being given. For poor women and infants, KCR kit is a big boon. So far, 8,71,340 KCR kits have been distributed, Harish Rao said.

Taking this as a model, several State governments are implementing the scheme under various names. As per the National Family Health Survey, the Telangana State is in the top position in terms of reduction in pregnancy deaths and infant mortality.

This is the result of Aarogya Lakshmi and KCR kit schemes. On the occasion of the Bathukamma festival, the government is distributing sarees to as many as one crore women as a gift, spending Rs 338 crore annually.

The government is strictly implementing the policy of providing 33 per cent reservation in the government services including the police. SHE Teams formed for the protection of women are working efficiently.

For encouraging self-employment among women ‘She Cabs’ scheme has been introduced. Under this scheme, a subsidy of 35 per cent is being provided. The government has taken serious note of the lack of toilets for women in the cities. The double bedroom houses are being allotted by the government in the name of a woman family-member. Under the Aarogya Lakshmi scheme, the government has so far spent Rs 136.44 crore to provide nutritious food to four lakh pregnant women.

The National Family Health Survey has revealed that women in five districts of the State are suffering from anaemia and some children are suffering from physical weakness. A nine-member team consisting of IAS, IPS and IFS officers visited Kerala and other States and gave a comprehensive report suggesting remedial measures.

Based on their suggestions, the government is initiating suitable measures to prevent the problem of anaemia among women.

Welfare of Gulf Workers

The Telangana government has decided to put in place an administrative arrangement on the lines of Kerala for the welfare of workers from Telangana who had gone to Gulf countries for livelihood. A special team has visited Kerala to study the policies being adopted by the Kerala government. Based on the report of the team, the government will initiate measures for the welfare of Gulf workers.