To help working women in urban and semi-urban centres find affordable and safe accommodation, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has ordered universities to allocate land/built up space within their campuses for establishing Sakhi Niwas or working women’s hostels.
Impact of STEM education
“India’s progress in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education sees a commendable 43% representation of women graduates,” said the UGC document, point to a spike in women’s presence in the labour force. “One of the key factors prompting women and girls from rural areas to relocate to tier-1 and metro cities is availability of better educational and employment opportunities there. There is a need for safe and affordable accommodation for them,” it added.
The UGC further said that Sakhi Niwas, a component of the Umbrella scheme of Mission Shakti, offers a secure haven equipped with fundamental amenities such as lodging, meals and day-care facilities for their children, wherever feasible. The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has suggested to identify suitable land /built up space within the campuses of the universities for establishing them.
If the universities provide such space, the cost of construction and management cost for running the facility can be provided by MCWD. It has also requested to convey a list of 10 to 15 such identified spaces within the next 10 days.
Underlining the need for such accommodation, Roopashree, a techie from Hassan district, said, “It is very difficult to find good, safe and affordable hostels for working women in cities like Bengaluru. Most of the Paying Guest (PG) accommodations are very expensive. The initiate taken by the MWCD and UGC is really appreciable.”
“In terms of security and safety also, working women’s hostels in the universities is a good option,” added Pavithra, another working woman from Tumakuru.
A Bangalore University official said that they had not received any official order from UGC regarding this yet. “If the order comes, action will be taken as per the government’s decision,” said the official.
Transit hostels in operation
The State government is currently running around 65 Transit Hostels across the state, including 11 transit hostels in Bengaluru city, under Women and Child Development Department.
“There is a huge demand for women’s hostels in Bengaluru. A large number of women are coming to Bengaluru for employment and higher education. Our department is already running 65 transit hostels across the State and there is huge demand in Bengaluru city for transit hostels. More transit hostels are needed in Bengaluru city,” said an officer in the Women and Child Development Department.
