the goan I network
PANAJI
Fund squeeze, bureaucratic logjams from the parent Women and Child Department besides the State government’s ditherance in allocating adequate staff and office space were the reasons that led to noted lawyer Subhalaxmi Naik putting in her papers as chairperson of the State Women’s Commission.
“Of course my family life was also getting affected and it did weigh in. But the main, we had no funds to function effectively. Whatever awareness programmes and activity we conducted was from the funds allocated and disbursed to us by the National Commission,” Naik told The Goan while discussing the reasons for her surprise resignation.
Naik put in her papers in January this year after staying in office for just one year of her term in office. Following the development, the State government appointed Purti Patkar as chairperson on March 4, and also re-constituted the Board.
This is the second time that the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission has quit the position since the current Manohar Parrikar-led
coalition government took
charge. Earlier in December 2017, Vidya Shet Tanavade had also put in her papers without assigning any reasons.
The State government had then appointed Adv Subhalaxmi Naik in January 2017, who had also served as member of the commission previously. The Commission functions under the aegis of the Women and Child Development ministry which is held by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Meanwhile, Naik expressed concern over the high rates of failing marriages in the State and opined that although the Commission has scope to tackle the rising graph of divorces, it will have to work professionally with the affected women.
Marriage conciliation is an area where the Women’s Commission has immense relevance, Naik said, and rued that in her one-year tenure she could not do much in this area for reasons cited earlier.
“In my previous stint as a member of the Commission, I had worked relentlessly in this area and helped many women secure their rights and dues from their marital homes,” Naik added.
