‘Divorcees and single women from other communities will also be given skill-based education and employment, but they won’t get interim pension’ – Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Dispur: According to Assam’s new Government policy, men will be punished for abandoning their wives on flimsy grounds such as birth of girl child and women divorced through triple talaq will be given interim pension, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also informed about the changes made to the state’s population policy draft which was announced last month.
“There will be provision for skill up gradation of Muslim women divorcee to help in gainful employment and in the interim, such victims of triple talaq will be given family pension,” Sarma said.
Divorcees and single women from other communities will also be given skill-based , but they won’t get interim pension.
“Steps will be taken to prevent and deter women from being abandoned or deserted (or divorced) by husband on flimsy grounds such as birth of girl child, etc. We will bring a law which will make it a punishable offence” said Sarma.
The changes have been introduced after getting feedback from public, NGOs and media outlets on the draft policy. Sarma said the government will try to introduce the new policy from August.
The women empowerment part was introduced in the new draft as there were suggestions that women could be discriminated against under the policy.
The draft policy restricts marriages before legally permissible age and also gives an end to parents from contesting elections to local bodies if they have more than two kids.
The state government would also ask the Centre to amend the Representation of The People Act to introduce two-child norm for MPs and MLAs to be elected from Assam.
“Under specific circumstances and depending on case to case basis, birth of third child will not be a bar from seeking government employment as per the new changes incorporated,” said Sarma.
Such circumstances include birth of twins or more during the second pregnancy, deaths of children, desertion of parents by children, etc.
“To have a third child, government employees and elected representatives of local bodies will have to take government permission, which will be given under very special circumstances,” he said.