NEW DELHI: He is the first man to have penetrated the female bastion of the National Commission for Women. But Alok Rawat, the first male member of the commission in its 23 years, is not sure whether he will be a “flop or a success”.
“I have very limited knowledge. I don’t know whether I will be a flop or success,” Rawat, who recently retired as the Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, told The Sunday Standard, barely 90 minutes after taking charge.
Rawat, who flew off for a holiday immediately after taking charge, said: “The government nominated me to the post. They must have thought of something before doing it.”
He said that working with the commission will be a new experience and his first focus will be to learn the job. “I will use the seashores to help me clear my thoughts on what should be my focus.”
Asked if his being a man would in any way make his position different, he said: “All I would like to say is that I am an ordinary human being. I have no horns.”
“I feel that the presence of a male would provide a better understanding of the women issues,” he said, adding, “I will learn the job first as issues pertaining to women are a bit different from development agenda. So I will observe and learn first.”
“I think my 38 years of experience in administration would help me perform and deliver. Also, I have studied human resource in developing countries… that will also help me,” he said.
A 1977 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre, Rawat has also served in the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, as Secretary in the Union Public Service Commission, Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the Cabinet Secretariat. He said at a certain level, there was not much difference between women’s issues and those connected with men.
“If for example there is an accident or a robbery attempt, then it does not really matter whether you are a man or a woman”.
The former bureaucrat said he feels that states which have a high literacy level, as a whole have better figures as far as crimes against women are concerned.
Giving examples of the northeastern states and Kerala, he said wherever female literacy was high, crimes against women seemed to be less.
“Everything cannot be wrong with the country. Any change in law has to be given a gestation period to succeed,” he said.
Rawat would be the fourth member to be appointed to the commission. Besides Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam, two other members—Sushma Sahu and Rekha Sharma—have been appointed in August.
The NCW is a five-member body.
Rawat’s nomination has elicited a mixed response. While NCW member Rekha Sharma felt that the appointment of a man for the first time will help in developing a different perspective, women’s right activist Ranjana Kumari said that it was a pity that the government could not find a woman representative in the women’s commission.