Centre to roll out mass campaign to combat violence against women in villages: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
The government will launch a mass campaign to eradicate violence against women in villages across India, Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday.
Speaking in New Delhi at the launch of the fourth edition of Nayi Chetna, a national campaign that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment, Chouhan said the initiative aims to mobilise communities at the grassroots to ensure women’s safety, dignity, and participation in public life.
The campaign was jointly launched by Chouhan and Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi.
“The campaign’s objective is to spread awareness against gender-based violence through community-based action, encourage safe mobility for women, recognise women’s economic contributions, and promote shared responsibility for domestic work,” the Ministry of Rural Development said in a statement.
Chouhan said Nayi Chetna has grown into a mass movement to strengthen security, dignity, and economic opportunity for women in rural India.
“‘Nayi Chetna’ promotes respect, safety, and self-reliance for women. It is our duty to ensure women’s voices are heard at every level of society and governance,” he added.
He highlighted several government initiatives aimed at advancing social, economic, and educational empowerment: from the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which reserves 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, to schemes such as Lakhpati Didi, which seeks to help members of Self-Help Groups earn a minimum annual income of Rs 1 lakh.
Over 20 million women have already become Lakhpati Didis, Chouhan said.
“No woman in the country should remain poor under the Prime Minister’s leadership. Our effort is to ensure no woman ever has tears in her eyes. No one should have to beg,” he said.
Reiterating that violence against women “will not be tolerated under any circumstance,” Chouhan said addiction and substance abuse were among the major drivers of violence.
“Addiction is the root of all evils. Women must help create awareness against substance abuse across villages. The government, together with society and especially women, needs to commit to making this a campaign,” he said.
Nayi Chetna 4.0 is being organised by the Ministry of Rural Development under the DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission) across all states and Union territories, and will run until December 23.