Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated on Saturday that the government intends to allocate 25% of the state budget to women's empowerment initiatives.
He emphasised Kerala's groundbreaking role as the first Indian state to adopt gender budgeting while speaking at the inauguration of an event hosted by the State Women's Commission. He also stated that severe steps would be implemented to improve women's safety.
Addressing the audience, Pinarayi stated that the United Nations complimented Kerala's gender budgeting initiatives last year. He also noted that the administration has made great progress in increasing women's safety during the previous three years, TNIE reported.
“In 2023, 18,900 cases related to violence against women were registered. This number dropped to 17,000 last year. Cases of sexual harassment and domestic violence have also declined.
However, as a progressive society, Kerala must take these incidents seriously and work towards completely eradicating violence against women,” he said.
Chairperson of the Women’s Commission, P Satheedevi, said that the commission is now focusing on understanding and addressing the challenges faced by women across various sectors.