Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
The Maharashtra govt set to provide Rs. 5000/- per month and 5-kg ration to sex workers every month, starting from October until the pandemic is over, though there are questions on identification.
The Indian Express reports that the Maharashtra govt will be providing dry ration and Rs 5000/- per month to support sex workers until the pandemic is over.
The State Government also says that an additional sum of Rs.2, 500/- will be provided to their school going children. The State Women and Child Development Committee has prepared a list of 5,600 sex workers and their 1,592 children set to get financial aid and dry ration.
This decision comes at a time when sex workers are facing the worst of the pandemic, being one of the hardest hit communities in the country.
Due to the lockdown, many sex workers have lost a source of livelihood. Thus, this step is being welcomed by many in the country and is being seen as one of the vital steps to ensure that the sex workers get access to much needed financial assistance.
This aid would be given from the State’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. In September, the Supreme Court had directed all states to provide ration to sex workers and other financial assistance after Mahila Samanvay Committee, a collective of sex workers approached the Court.
Dry Ration will be distributed without the need of an identity proof. Whether or not financial assistance requires the need of an Identity Proof remains unclear. While some news sources like this in The Wire report that financial assistance requires the need of Aadhar details and a Bank Account, some don’t seem to mention anything about it.
It is important to note that the Mumbai District Aids Control Society (MDACS) has been able to pass on names of only 5,600 workers out of the 14,000 registered sex workers to the Government for financial aid.
The decision taken by the State Government to provide financial aid and dry ration to sex workers in Maharashtra is an important and necessary step in order to ensure that they can compensate the loss incurred during the pandemic to some extent, although the State Government must also ensure that any intricacies and problems being faced by sex workers in their way to become beneficiaries of the scheme is solved as early as possible, so that all sex workers in the state be able to meet their ends and overcome the monetary loss faced due to the pandemic.
Image source: Flickr
History, politics and pop culture enthusiast. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
Please enter your email address