Latest news with #W&CD


New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Odisha government directs strict implementation of POSH Act at workplace, educational institutions
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has directed all departments, revenue divisional commissioners, district collectors and urban local bodies to strictly comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the POSH Act. The move comes in the wake of death of the Balasore student's self-immolation incident. The measure aims to ensure a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for women in workplaces and educational institutions. "It has been observed that in many organisations, the implementation of POSH Act 2013 is not adequate. An important step in this direction is creating awareness amongst all personnel in workplaces and students. It is imperative that sensitivity and knowledge about this Act is generated not only amongst girls and women but also amongst boys and men," said an order issued by the Women and Child Development department. The department has also issued a draft Do's and Don'ts in IEC board on sexual harassment of women at the workplace for display at prominent locations of government offices and campuses of educational institutions. "It is requested to kindly display the same at multiple conspicuous places in the workplace/ school/ college/ institution," the order said. The W&CD department further directed authorities concerned to ensure that all internal committees (ICs) are onboarded onto the She Box portal where details are registered.

New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Cybercriminals impersonate Telangana W&CD director; case registered
HYDERABAD: Cybercrime police have registered a case against unidentified cyber fraudsters for impersonating Dr G Srijana, director (FAC) of Women & Child Development (W&CD) and director of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PR&RD) department, and seeking financial favours from her subordinates. The case was filed under Section 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 319(2) of the BNS based on a complaint. According to the police, several district welfare officers (DWOs) from Jangaon, Khammam and other districts received WhatsApp messages on Tuesday from unknown numbers using Dr Srijana's name and photo, requesting money. An investigation is underway to identify and nab the accused.


New Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Govt draws up modalities to ensure regular health check-up of CCI inmates across Odisha
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has decided to ensure regular and quality healthcare services for children residing in child care institutions (CCIs) across the state. The departments of Women and Child Development (W&CD) and Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) have jointly laid out specific directives to be implemented through convergence at both the state and district levels. As decided, all CCIs in the state will be mapped to the nearest health facilities such as district hospitals, CHCs, PHCs, urban primary health centres (UPHCs), or Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs). This mapping is aimed at ensuring easy and consistent access to healthcare services for all children in institutional care. CCI staff will coordinate with these mapped facilities to facilitate regular health check-ups for every child. Health department sources said, each child will be issued an individual health card documenting immunisations, growth monitoring, medical check-ups, treatments, and referrals in order to track health outcomes effectively. These records will be updated during every health visit and reviewed periodically by government officials during institutional inspections, she said. The Ayushman Arogya Mandirs will provide teleconsultation services through a hub and spoke model, connecting community health officers and medical officers with specialists at secondary and tertiary hospitals. CCIs will be encouraged to use this facility whenever necessary. This apart, mobile health teams under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), which are currently engaged in screening school-aged children, will extend their services to CCIs and include these institutions in their visit schedules. Keeping in mind the mental health needs of children in institutional care, CCIs will be linked with the district mental health programme (DMHP) teams for regular assessments and counselling support. The state government has directed district collectors and CDMOs to facilitate convergence and coordination between the district child protection units and the district health administrations. A joint orientation session will be organised for CCI staff, DCPUs, and local health officials to train them on using health facilities, teleconsultation portals, and mental health support systems. The government will review the initiative at the district level with compliance reports submitted to the state authorities.