Activist Pushes for Law to End Widowhood Discrimination in India

Activist Pramod Zinjade urges Indian ministers and lawmakers to support a law to eradicate regressive widowhood practices. He appeals to the NCW and other bodies for nationwide awareness campaigns, aiming for a dignified life for widows. Maharashtra's Herwad village has already banned such customs.

In a bid to eradicate regressive practices against widows, Maharashtra activist Pramod Zinjade is escalating his campaign to the national level, calling on ministers and lawmakers for their support in creating a law to ensure a dignified life for these women.

Writing to key figures such as Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi and the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, Zinjade seeks nationwide cooperation to abolish outdated customs that still plague widows in parts of India.

Zinjade highlights the groundbreaking ban in Herwad, Kolhapur, where the village's gram sabha recently prohibited discriminatory practices. Inspired by this, over 7,000 gram panchayats have taken similar action, drawing attention from national human rights bodies and pushing Zinjade to advocate for a nationwide policy change.