New Delhi: Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Kalkaji MLA Atishi has now said that the Delhi government is building policies with women empowerment at the centre in public healthcare, education and transportation. Her remarks came at an event of the United Cities and Local Governments called Local and Regional Governments' Day: Feminist Municipal Movement on Thursday.
Explaining how through investing in public education, healthcare and transportation, the Delhi government is centering on women's empowerment in its policymaking, the lawmaker from Delhi said that the key has been to stop the exclusion of women and girls from public spaces.
For instance, addressing the attendees of the event, Atishi explained how her government spends close to 25 per cent of its budget on education
and building public infrastructure in government schools
that have allowed women to access them.
She explained that firstly the reliance on private school education had excluded women and girls from accessing education and secondly, the lack of sanitary toilet facilities and other ancillaries in public schools have always hindered their access to public education.
Atishi said that by investing in public school infrastructure, the Delhi government has not just managed to bring schools to women and girls but it has improved standards to a point where public schools consistently outperform private ones.
Moreover, the MLA elaborated that by investing another large chunk (10-15 pc) of their budget in healthcare infrastructure such as Mohalla Clinics as primary healthcare centres, women's access to healthcare has increased.