J&K administration steps up workplace safety measures and oversight for women employees
SRINAGAR, June 17, 2026 :- Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo chaired a high-level meeting to review the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act across Jammu and Kashmir.
The focus of the review centered on ensuring safe, secure, and conducive work environments for women in both the public and private sectors. The meeting was attended by senior administrative officials, including the Principal Secretary of the Home Department and the Commissioner Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, alongside regional divisional commissioners and legal officers.
During the session, the Chief Secretary emphasized the importance of implementing the legal provisions and Supreme Court directions in true letter and spirit. The Social Welfare Department received directions to devise a comprehensive framework that clearly delineates responsibilities at various levels to ensure total compliance across all workplaces.
Dulloo called for intensified outreach among female employees regarding their rights and grievance mechanisms, alongside regular capacity-building programs for district nodal officers and members of internal complaints committees.The Law Department was advised to facilitate training programs through legal services authorities to strengthen awareness and legal literacy.
Furthermore, Mission Shakti was directed to ensure that districts organize monthly Mahila Jan Sunwai programs under the supervision of district magistrates, senior superintendents of police, and district legal services authorities. The directive also included instructions to undertake extensive dissemination of educational materials, promotional information on the Women Helpline-181, and the SHe-Box portal at workplaces and through official websites.
Commissioner Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez, outlined the measures currently being undertaken for effective implementation across the Union Territory. He reported that internal complaints committees have already been constituted in government offices down to the tehsil and block levels, with 978 institutions employing women identified so far.
Hafeez stressed the need for comprehensive identification and mapping of all workplaces across districts and noted that all establishments have been advised to prominently display details of support services and complaint registration mechanisms.Mission Director for Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti, Rubina Kousar, presented an overview of the ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional response mechanisms. She informed the meeting that 2,826 government offices and 1,048 private establishments have been mapped on the designated portal, with numbers continuing to increase as more workplaces are identified.
Kousar also revealed that three complaints of sexual harassment had been received and addressed under the act, noting that nodal officers have been designated in all districts to ensure comprehensive coverage under the safety framework.