On January 2, 2018, the Union minister for women and child development, Maneka Gandhi launched a web portal, National Repository of Information for Women (NARI), which aims to provide information on all government schemes for women. In a related move, the government has launched e-SAMVAD, a platform for the NGOs and civil societies to interact with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
It was announced that the government will initiate a trial run of mobile phones with a panic button from January 26 in Uttar Pradesh. In April 2016, the government had made it mandatory for all mobile phone manufacturers to provide a panic button feature in cell phones from January 2017, but its implementation has been delayed. The move aims at improving security for women by providing them a tool to alert the local police.
NARI Portal
The NARI portal provides easy access to information on about 350 government schemes initiated not only by the central government but also all the governments of states. The schemes are classified into seven different categories: health, education, employment, housing and shelter, decision making, social support and addressing violence. The portal, which will be updated from time to time, will provide women information on issues in these areas that affect their lives. They can also access information, tips and advises on other topics covering adoption and Direct Benefit. A person can log on to http://www.nari.nic.in for information on the schemes.
There is a ‘Knowledge Corner’ on the portal that informs about the procedure for getting a voter ID and an Aadhaar Card, opening a bank account, applying for a passport, savings and investments and basic rights of women like availing of maternity leave. The user can also ‘Get Involved’ in the government’s efforts fora better India like its programmes on BetiBachaoBetiPadhao and Foster Care.
e-SAMVAD
On this interactive portal, NGOs can contact MWCD and provide suggestions, feedbacks and also put up grievances and their best practices to help formulate effective policies for the welfare of women and children.