THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that the government aims to allocate 25% of the state budget for the empowerment of women.
Speaking at the inauguration of an event organised by the State Women’s Commission, he highlighted Kerala’s pioneering role as the first state in India to implement gender budgeting. He also assured that strict measures would be taken to enhance women’s safety.
Addressing the gathering, Pinarayi said that the United Nations had commended Kerala’s gender budgeting efforts last year. He also pointed out that the government had made significant strides in improving women’s safety over the past three years.
“In 2023, 18,900 cases related to violence against women were registered. This number dropped to 17,000 last year. Cases of sexual harassment and domestic violence have also declined.
However, as a progressive society, Kerala must take these incidents seriously and work towards completely eradicating violence against women,” he said. Chairperson of the Women’s Commission, P Satheedevi, said that the commission is now focusing on understanding and addressing the challenges faced by women across various sectors.