RANCHI: In a first, the Jharkhand government will soon launch a project to check harassment of women in the name of witchcraft and to ensure dignified life to them.
Under the scheme all those women who faced torture in the name of witchcraft will be identified and provided with help to make them financially independent.
As of now, a total of 1,149 such women have been identified who will also be made aware of the legal remedies available to them.
Officials in Rural Development Department said that under this project a security team will also be formed in each village to ensure that no woman is harassed or tortured in the name of witchcraft.
The project is initially being launched in 2,668 villages on a pilot basis and will gradually be extended to all 32,000 villages across the state.
“Being a very sensitive issue, awareness among the society is one of the major focuses of this programme, along with counseling and ensuring a dignified living to the affected women, economically as well as socially,” said Rural Development Secretary Aradhana Patnaik.