TN CM announces 9 exclusive schemes for women police

Women police deserved a double salute as they worked hard alongside their male counterparts in protecting the State and at the same time fulfiled their family commitments and responsibilities, the Chief Minister said, while speaking at the golden jubilee of the induction of women into the police department.

Rescheduling the roll-call timing to 8 am from 7 am for women police, establishing creches for their children, and providing them with separate restrooms at all police stations are among the nine exclusive schemes announced by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday to ensure that women in the police force have a positive work environment. Women police deserved a double salute as they worked hard alongside their male counterparts in protecting the State and at the same time fulfiled their family commitments and responsibilities, the Chief Minister said, while speaking at the golden jubilee of the induction of women into the police department. ''The DMK regime under Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister) provided an opportunity for women to serve in the police force in 1973. Today, we have 35,329 women serving and sacrificing on par with their male counterparts,'' Stalin said. Likening the nine exclusive initiatives to ''navaratna'' schemes to commemorate the occasion, he said hostels for women police would be set up in Chennai and Madurai while creche facilities to take care of their babies would be established across the State. An annual award would be instituted in the name of Kalaignar, who was the first leader in the country to induct women into the State police force, Stalin said.

Priority in transfers and leave concession, an exclusive annual State-level shooting competition, an annual national conference on the role of women police, and establishing a career counselling committee at the office of the DGP are among the other initiatives announced by the Chief Minister. Apart from releasing a special postal cover to commemorate the golden jubilee, Stalin launched the AVAL (Avoid Violence through Awareness and Learning) scheme and flagged off a 700-km bicycle expedition of women police personnel on the occasion. A first-of-its-kind initiative, AVAL, aims at creating awareness among women about their safety and wellbeing and provides them training in self-defence.

State Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, Home secretary K Phanindra Reddy, DGP C Sylendra Babu, Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal, Chennai Mayor R Priya, and other officials participated in the event held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here.