Twenty-one Pre-Marital Counselling (PMC) centres across nine states will be established to give expert guidance on the social, psychological and behavioural aspects of marriage, National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said here on Friday. The centres will be officially launched on Saturday on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Also, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the NCW will organise a special exhibition in the Parliament to honour 15 women who played a pivotal role in drafting of the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference, Rahatkar said, “The aim is to provide guidance to the younger generation on how to have a happy marriage.” Rahatkar said the initiative follows extensive consultations with over 100 experts from across the country.
“We held consultations in Pune, where experts discussed what should be included in the PMC programme. We also conducted ‘training of trainers’ for counsellors to identify key topics that need to be covered,” she said.
The centres will be officially launched on Saturday on International Women’s Day. They will be located in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, Maharashtra’s Nashik, Latur, and Mumbai, and Gujarat, Odisha, Kerala, and Faridabad in Uttar Pradesh. Rahatkar said that the centres will be set up near marriage registration offices.
“We plan to have such centres in every district of the country. Each centre will require a space of 150-200 square feet
and will be staffed by trained counsellors,” she said.
The NCW chief said she has also urged district collectors to support the initiative by putting up hoardings, banners, and distributing brochures in universities, offices, and marriage registration venues.
“We have prepared well, but as we move forward, new issues will emerge. We plan to engage with colleges and create social media platforms to reach a wider audience,” she said.
She also said in collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Abhivakta Parishad, a lawyers’ body, the NCW will host an event on March 8-9 in Chhatarpur to honour over 1,200 women advocates.
Mira Khadkar, the vice president of the Parishad, said women advocates are the backbone of justice and their expertise is instrumental in creating a more equitable legal system.