Crime against women in state reduced by 21%: Shashi Panja

Kolkata: Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Minister of State for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Shashi Panja on Wednesday said the rate of crime against women in the state has gone down by 21 per cent between 2014 and 2019. Citing the national Crime Record Bureau report for the same period, the minister claimed that in states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, crime against women has increased.

Panja claimed that in Uttar Pradesh the crime against women has gone up by 56 per cent. "During the same period, the crime against women in Maharashtra and Rajasthan have gone up by 39 and 33 per cent respectively," she added. The minister stated that the state government had set up 48 all women police stations and 88 fast track courts.

Coming down heavily on the BJP, Panja alleged that the saffron party was spreading lies and canard just to destabilise a state run by a woman Chief Minister.

Addressing a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan, Panja said: "Just to destabilise the state, BJP is spreading incessant lies and canard. BJP's only aim is political vendetta. They always talk about negative politics."

Panja also highlighted the recently-released National Family Health Survey 5. The survey shows the achievement of the state government headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the health sector.

"The success of Duare Sarkar has reached a new height as 64 lakh people have so far approached the camps set up across the state. People's response towards Swasthya Sathi cards is overwhelming. Unable to utter a word about the development of the state, BJP is employing new methods of creating trouble. Nowhere in the country is the state-run healthcare free. Costly operations like heart and kidney transplantation are being regularly carried out in the hospitals free of cost," she said.

Dr Panja said the NFHS 5 report stated that the infant mortality has gone down in the state and now it stands at 22 against 27.5 in 2015-16. The Neonatal mortality rate is 15. 5 per 1000 cases against 22 per 1000 cases in 2015-16.

"The statistical data shows how Mamata Banerjee has taken care of the mother and the babies," she said. Panja said the state government has already published the report of the work carried by the state government in the past 10 years.

"Time has come for the BJP to publish the report of the Narendra Modi-led government. The Centre has failed in every sector. It does not have the courage to face the MPs and so it is not holding the session of Parliament citing COVID-19 pandemic," she added.