Skip to content Skip to navigation

Raise women’s issues on the floor

Experts called upon legislators in Assam to raise issues concerning women and children on the floor of the House, acquaint themselves with the existing provisions concerning their rights and engage in advocacy of matters concerning the welfare of women and children. The suggestions were made during the fifth phase of the ongoing Sabal Bidhayak held on Tuesday at Guwahati, a series of orientation programmes initiated by the Assam Legislative Assembly in collaboration with Guwahati-based research institute, Centre for Development and Peace Studies.

Addressing the MLAs and civil society representatives, Lok Sabha MP from Guwahati Bijoya Chakraborty said, “Legislators must also make it a point to champion the rights of women in the unorganised sector and raise issues concerning the welfare of children, besides using their resources as public representatives in the fight against crimes like molestation, rape and dowry”. She said, on the whole legislators must be able to give a sense of security to women and children by fighting for their privileges both within and outside the House.

Columnist and television commentator Maini Mahanta said legislators, the police, doctors and lawyers have to be extra-sensitive on issues concerning women and child rights. “I know of a case where a woman was molested on a city road was asked by the police whether she had lost any of her belongings during the incident, thereby suggesting that it was not a major incident”, Mahanta said. She suggested that legislators have an important role to play in protecting the rights of women and children in the insurgency affected areas and called for induction of more women constables in the Assam Police. Mahanta reminded the legislators to press for a gender budget in the upcoming Budget Session of the Assam Assembly.

Jatin Hazarika, IAS (retd.), who has the distinction of working closely with six different Chief Ministers of Assam speaking on ‘Executive Legislature Relations’,  said as per laid down rules, a minister has the power to take the final decision in a matter concerning his or her department but a bureaucrat of that department is expected to provide the minister the right counsel. Hazarika said a bureaucrat is expected to be impartial but if he or she decides to be neutral, then work cannot progress as desired.

Former Assam Chief Secretary P K Datta, currently Chairman of the Fifth Assam State Finance Commission, said the fundamental principle of parliamentary democracy is the rule of law. Mr Datta said that if the legislators and bureaucrats decide to follow the rule of law, the chances of conflict between the two can be minimal.

While noted academician Mahfuza Rahman presided over the session on ‘Role of Legislators in Advancing Women and Child Rights’, well-known sociologist and Director Research of CDPS Dr ANS Ahmed presided over the session on ‘Executive Legislature Relations’.

Concluding the programme CDPS Executive Director Wasbir Hussain highlighted findings of a study conducted by the research centre on Tribal Women’s Access to Representation and Justice. The study conducted in Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland found that the primary reason of women in these three states not being part of the decision-making process is the denial of party tickets to women by political parties. He, however, pointed out that the interest level of women in Assam in politics is quite high as revealed by the study.

Sabal Bidhayak was formally inaugurated on October 2 by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance, Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Resource persons present during the last four orientation programmes include: Jaimini Bhagwati, IFS (retd.) Economist and Former Indian Ambassador to UK, Gautam Mukhopadhaya, IFS, Former Ambassador to Myanmar, renowned journalist Arnab Goswami, Prasenjit Bhattacharya, CEO, Great Place to Wok Institute India, Ravi Kota, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary, Finance, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Former Chief Minister, Assam, Gautam Barua, Director, IIIT Guwahati, Prof Dilip Kumar Barua, Former Principal, Cotton College, Prasanta Rajguru, Editor, Amar Asom, Abdul Muhib Majumdar, Former Minister, Phani Bhushan Choudhury, Keshab Mahanta, Minister, Water Resources, Samudra Gupta Kashyap, Lok Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, economist Amiya Sarma, John Borgoyari, Regional Head, UNDP, N G Mahanta, Akhil Ranjan Dutta and few others.



Add new comment

Random Stories

Akhil Gogoi absconding!

8 Jul 2015 - 6:49pm | AT News
 Three days after he accused Dispur police of raping and murdering a Meghalaya women, Akhil Gogoi is believed to have been absconding.The KMSS leader was available till Tuesday morning in...

Gogoi tables state budget

10 Mar 2015 - 2:35pm | AT News
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi is tabling the state budget for 2015-16 on the floor of the Assembly on Tuesday.Gogoi, who is holding the finance portfolio is giving the people a rare dose of good news in...

Tension in Lekhapani

26 Feb 2014 - 10:17pm | AT News
Tension seems to have escalated in Lakhapani area in Tinsukia district after five policemen sustained injury in mob attack.Police resorted to blank fire to disperse an irate mob who pelted stones at...

Gogoi tables 3464 cr deficit budget

15 Mar 2010 - 9:22pm | editor
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday tabled state budget for 2010-11 announcing a slew of measures to the voters a year ahead of the assembly polls. The budget has a huge Rs3464.46 crore...

Other Contents by Author

The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity Assam’s (KMSSA) General Secretary Akhil Gogoi on Sunday was taken into custody by Pan Bazaar Police from outside the Guwahati Press Club premises for first instance violation of PR Act 126. Anti-corruption campaigner Akhil Gogoi along with some 40 members and supporters was at that time about to proceed to Dighali Pukhuri to lead a democratic sit in protest in support of Gandhian Anna Hazare’s demand for the ratification of Jan LokPal (Ombudsman) Bill for the second consecutive day since Saturday after calling short a Press Meet on non industrialization of Lower Assam at Guwahati Press Club when the incident took place. Akhil Gogoi who for...
The Unity Education Foundation, Guwahati recently in association with the Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti, New Delhi organized a daylong National Seminar titled "Gandhism: Understanding peace and the way to maintain it" at Hotel Nakshatra Conference Hall in an effort to explore and employ Gandhian principles to address conflict resolution. The Seminar attracted a large number of students and local dignitaries. Speaking on the occasion Hem Bhai, CEO Gandhi Sandhana Ashram Guwahati said that there is nothing called Gandhism which is a pertinent fact of Gandhian philosophy. Gandhiji himself denounced it and therefore Gandhiji cannot be contained in ‘ism’. ‘The future of...
In a bid to confirm discontentment, state wide representative body of the indigenous Muslims the All Assam Goria-Moria-Desi Jatiya Parishad again came heavily on the Congress. At a Press Conference in Bhagawati Prasad Baruah Hall in Guwahati on May 29 the AAGMDJP General Secretary Hafizul Ahmed said that during the 2 term governance of the Congress the voice of the constituent communities of the indigenous Muslim volume of Assam have been blatantly overlooked. He cited veterans Syeda Anwara Taimur, Mâhdi Alam Bora and others of being suppressed and sidelined despite years of constancy by the Tarun Gogoi led BPPF Government. Furthermore, the forthcoming Assembly Election Manifesto of...
The perplexity involving the crisis associated with the privileges of the different communities which form the indigenous Muslim populace of Assam was broadly discussed Thursday at Natya Mandir, Sivsagar. This was an effort to gather consensus regarding uplift, recognition and representation of the indigenous Muslims spread across upper Assam, mid Assam and lower Assam in politics, education, socio-economic policy making and community centric development programs. The conference which attracted some 300 people from different parts of upper Assam had Senior Advocate Guwahati High Court and invited speaker Nekibur Zaman saying that it was during his association with the Assam Agitation that...
Constituted with more than 30 lac people the Goria, Moria, Desi communities who represent the indigenous Muslim bulk of Assam consider themselves deprived and neglected by the successors of Dispur. Expressing this in a Press Conference at Bhagawati Prasad Barua Bhavan today the All Assam Goria Moria Desi Jatiya Parishad (AAGMDJP) said that in the days gone by the Congress Government in power have failed to implement steps for the overall development of more than 90% of the converted indigenous communities who constitute the indigenous Muslim mass of Assam. It was held that despite their indigenouity the Goria, Moria and Desi communities categorically appear to have been taken for granted...
Assam’s various indigenous tribes and communities unified under Assam Sanmilita MahaSangha (ASM) sat for an 11 hour long sit in hunger strike demonstration outside the Dispur Secretariat today to commiserate with Manipur’s Birangana Irom Sanu Sharmila’s demand to scrap the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958. Iron Lady Sharmila is on indefinite hunger strike since the year 2000 completing 11 years almost to do away with the Black Act. In a Press Release the MahaSangha stated that the AFSPA 1958 is a direct copy of the British Empire’s 1942 Special Military Power Act. The colonial Britons imposed this Act to suppress India’s Mass Movement of 1942. After...
The Moslem tendency to acquire erstwhile Assam as a factor for their geo-political credit faced stiff resistance not only from the different tribal kings of the times but also from the Shan Tai Ahoms who managed to establish their settlements from 1228 AD under the kingship of Chou Lung Su Ka Pha. Interestingly the east-wandering group of Shan Tai Ahoms who chanced upon present day Assam was not just a new race and later a political entity amidst the native population but much of a foreigner like the Moslems. The Moslems set foot on this land some twenty three years prior to the out casted Shan Tai Ahoms who after several years of intra class fights for supremacy were compelled to migrate...