Dehradun: The Uttarakhand State Women’s Commission has announced renewed efforts towards ensuring women’s safety and empowerment across the state. In a major move to support family well-being, the Commission will focus on initiatives like pre-marital counseling and relationship counseling between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law under the program “Tere Mere Sapne,” as directed by the National Women’s Commission.
The first board meeting for the financial year 2025-26 was held on Saturday at the Directorate of Women Empowerment and Child Development, Nanda Ki Chowki, Sudhowala. The meeting was chaired by Commission President Kusum Kandwal and attended by newly appointed Vice Presidents and members.
The session began with a formal welcome by Member Secretary Urvashi Chauhan and Law Officer Dayaram Singh, who introduced the new dignitaries.
In her address, Chairperson Kusum Kandwal thanked Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for his commitment to women’s issues and emphasized that the appointment of Vice Presidents after a gap of 1.5 years will further strengthen the Commission’s work. She highlighted the importance of collaboration between Commission members and district-level administrative officers—such as District Magistrates, SSPs, DPOs, and CDPOs—to ensure justice and safety for women at the grassroots level.
Kandwal announced the district responsibilities for the two new Vice Presidents:
Aishwarya Rawat will oversee Pauri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag.
Saira Bano will manage affairs in Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, and Almora.
Key proposals discussed in the board meeting included:
Shifting the Commission’s headquarters within Dehradun city for easier access to victims.
Increasing honorariums for Commission members, in line with other states.
Establishing multiple One Stop Centers (OSC) in larger districts for better reach.
Smartizing OSCs across all districts.
Conducting inspections post-June of all OSCs, Nari Niketans, Kishori Sampradhan Grihas, and state prisons.
The Commission also plans to launch awareness campaigns, legal workshops, public hearings, and skill-building sessions in all 13 districts to empower women socially, economically, and politically.
Kandwal presented data on the number of cases handled in the year 2024–25 and discussed key case highlights. She encouraged members to ensure that no woman in the state feels unsafe and emphasized the shared responsibility of all Commission officers in safeguarding women’s rights, in collaboration with the government and administrative bodies.
Several prominent Commission members, including Kamala Joshi (Haridwar), Kiran Devi (Champawat), Kanchan Kashyap and Urmila Joshi (Nainital), Rachna Joshi (Pithoragarh), Vijaya Rawat and Vatsala Sati (Chamoli), Darshani Panwar (Rudraprayag), Kanwaljit Kaur Aujla (Udham Singh Nagar), Vaishali Narula, Vimala Naithani, and Renuka Pandey (Dehradun), attended the session.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks from Member Secretary Urvashi Chauhan, expressing gratitude to Chairperson Kusum Kandwal, Vice Presidents, Commission members, Law Officer Dayaram Singh, Sub-Inspector Swati Chamoli, Administrative Officer Narayan Tomar, and other staff members.
