SOCIETY

Sikkim's policewomen geared to take on the world

     Gangtok: Women in Sikkim, it seems, enjoy greater freedom than their counterparts in other parts of India. This is borne out by the fact that nearly 38 percent of Sikkimese women are part of the state's existing workforce. This figure appears astounding when comapred to the national average of 20 percent. This remote state is now inducting women into the police force in a big way. Getting ready to take on the world. It is not the number of women in the police force, but just their mere presence that is significant. Standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts, these policewomen are more than willing to take and execute command in the best interests of the state. The sense of pride and satisfaction is writ large on their faces, a clear indication of what this means to them. "Policing is different in Sikkim in comparison to the other parts of the country. Sikkim is a low crime state and traditional policing is not so much here. Now, we are trying to develop community policing. Women are being brought in to play roles in areas like traffic policing," Mrinalini Shrivastava , first women IPS officer in Sikkim, said. This would have been an unusual sight earlier, but not so today. Sikkimese women no longer only be just taking care of home and hearth. They are now taking care of the city as well. Such sights have become common in Sikkim and people have no gender mindsets that are in conflict to accepting women in positions of power. The administration was aware that inducting women into the police force would not meet any resistance. "There is hardly any instance of bias against women as we have in plains. So women police work in close tandem, shoulder to shoulder with men folk. Recently we have thirty percent provision of reservation of women in police that is in addition to those who will come up in open competition. Besides we have compassionate appointments of wives and children of those who die in harness," says S.D. Negi, the Deputy Inspector General (Crime) This support and the incentives have made a huge difference and is reflected in the large number of women opting to come out of the confines of their homes. And, they are rewriting their own destiny. Sixty five percent of women in Sikkim today are literate. It is not surprising then that the emerging opportunities are being snapped up in a Sikkim, which is so rich in human resources. Many north east specialists believe that Sikkim has the potential to become India's first poverty-free state and empowering women seems to be one step in that direction.
-Feb 24, 2005

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