AAP will launch all-women commando force in national capital: Rakhi Birla
13 Jan 2014 4:44 AM IST
She is the youngest cabinet minister of the newly formed Delhi government. A representative of Dalit community and emerging face of Delhi politics. Her transformation from a journalist to a politician happened when she joined the Anna movement. The Women and Child Development minister Rakhi Birla in an interview to Millennium Post said that zero tolerance for crime against women and children is the top priorities of Delhi government.
The 26-year-old is not just the youngest minister in Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet, but also its only woman face. She was born in Delhi to Sheila and Bhupendra Singh Bidhlan, and is the youngest of their four daughters. Her last name got actually stuck with her after her school teacher made a mistake while preparing her Class X certificate and wrote Birla instead of Bidhlan — her actual surname.
What are your top priorities?
Our government is dedicated to make the city safe and secure for the women and children. Women must feel safe here in the national capital. There should not be any harassment against women in any form.
What steps are you going to take to stop crime against women?
Women’s safety is one of the most talked about issues in Delhi. Delhi is considered ‘unsafe city’ for women. Our government is focusing on the issue very closely. We are going to start with an all-women commando force. We are planning to recruit ex-military personnel and experts in martial arts to train female volunteers to walk the capital’s streets. However, it may take some time but we are working on this front.
How you are going to deal with the children related issues?
We are working on this matter and also trying to secure the rights of the children in the city.
What are your next steps which can make a difference?
We need some time to implement our plans. We are collecting information from concerned departments to make fullproof action plan for the safety of the women and children. It will be too early to tell any thing at this moment.
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