All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev here on Friday said that a 33-per cent reservation would be made in Government jobs for women in Odisha if the Congress is voted to power in the 2019 elections.
“We whole-heartedly support Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s proposal for making a 33-per cent reservation for women in Parliament and States Assemblies. If the Congress is voted to power, a 33-per cent reservation will also be made for women in Government jobs,” said Dev at a Press meet.
Dev, also an MP from Assam, said the Mahila Congress would hold women-centric campaigns against the State Government. The promises to come up in election manifesto were discussed at the Mahila Congress executive meeting here, she said.
She criticised the State Government for the rising incidents of rape of minor girls and women trafficking in the State. Only 13 per cent of girls pursue after-school study in the State while 49 per cent of the State’s population comprises women, lamented Dev.
Besides job reservation, the Mahila Congress would also give focus on creating employment opportunities for women through SHGs and providing better access to the justice system to women relating to security, she said.
Stating that the State Government has failed to provide both economic and social security to women, Dev said the Mahila Congress would hold a huge rally and gherao the State Assembly on the first day of its coming session and submit a memorandum to the Governor demanding resignation of the Chief Minister.