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basic expand article for consistency and added references

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{{Short description|Statutory body of the Government of India}}
{{for|the Nigerian organization|National Commission for Women (Nigeria)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name = National Commission for Women
| nativename = राष्ट्रीय महिला आयोग
| nativename_r =
| type = Commission
| logo =
| logo_width = 100
| logo_caption =
| seal =
| seal_width =
| seal_caption =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_caption =
| formed = 1992
| preceding1 =
| preceding2 =
| dissolved =
| superseding =
| jurisdiction = [[Government of India]]
| headquarters = New Delhi
| employees =
| budget =
| minister1_name =
| minister1_pfo =
| deputyminister1_name =
| deputyminister1_pfo =
| deputyminister2_name =
| deputyminister2_pfo =
| chief1_name = [[Rekha Sharma (politician)|Rekha Sharma]]
| chief1_position = Chairperson
| chief2_name =
| chief2_position =
| chief3_name =
| chief3_position =
| chief4_name =
| chief4_position =
| chief5_name =
| chief5_position =
| chief6_name =
| chief6_position =
| parent_agency =
| child1_agency =
| child2_agency =
| website = {{URL|http://www.ncw.nic.in}}
| footnotes =
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| chief7_position =
| chief8_name =
| chief8_position =
| chief9_name =
| chief9_position =
| parent_department =
| native_name_a =
| region_code =
| coordinates =
| keydocument1 =
| keydocument2 =
| keydocument3 =
}}
The '''National Commission for Women''' ('''NCW''') is the statutory body of the [[Government of India]], generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of the [[Indian Constitution]],<ref name="NCW About">{{cite web |title=NCW :: About NCW |url=http://ncw.nic.in/frmAboutUS.aspx |website=ncw.nic.in |publisher=National Commission for Women |access-date=28 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016194845/http://ncw.nic.in/frmAboutUS.aspx |archive-date=16 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women Act.<ref>Act No. 20 of 1990 of Govt. of India</ref> The first head of the commission was [[Jayanti Patnaik]]. As of 30 November 2018, [[Rekha Sharma (politician)|Ashish Pachori]]

is the chairperson.<ref name="rsharma">{{Cite web |url=http://ncw.nic.in/frmcurrentcommission.aspx |title=NCW::Current Commission |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115165615/http://ncw.nic.in/frmcurrentcommission.aspx |archive-date=15 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Activities==
The objective of the NCW is to represent the rights of women in India and to provide a voice for their issues and concerns. The subjects of their campaigns have included [[dowry]], politics, religion, equal representation for women in jobs, and the exploitation of women for labour. They have also discussed police abuses against women.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/may/wom-ncw.htm|title = India Together: A gallery of failures - 19 May 2006|date = 19 May 2006}}</ref>

The commission regularly publishes a monthly newsletter, ''Rashtra Mahila'', in both Hindi and English.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ncw.nic.in/publications.htm |title=National Commission for Women :: Publications |access-date=5 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118155748/http://ncw.nic.in/publications.htm |archive-date=18 January 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Controversies==
===Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code===
In December 2006 and January 2007, the NCW found itself at the center of a minor controversy over its insistence that Section 497<ref>{{cite news|title=NCW rejects proposal to punish women for adultery|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ncw-rejects-proposal-to-punish-women-for-adultery/article3038719.ece|access-date=15 August 2015|work=The Hindu|date=26 December 2006}}</ref> of the [[Indian Penal Code]] not be changed to make adulterous wives equally prosecutable by their husbands.

<blockquote>
But the grounds on which Ms. Vyas resists the logic of making this a criminal offence — particularly for women, as often recommended — are not as encouraging. She is averse to holding the adulterous woman equally culpable as the adulterous man because women, she believes, are never offenders. They are always the victims.<ref name="oneworld">{{Cite web |url=http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/144502/1/5339 |title=One World.net |access-date=7 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011455/http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/144502/1/5339 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
</blockquote>

The NCW has demanded that women should not be punished for adultery, as a woman is "the victim and not an offender" in such cases. They have also advocated the amendment of Section 198 of the [[CrPC]] to allow women to file complaints against unfaithful husbands and prosecute them for their promiscuous behaviour. This was in response to "loopholes" in the Indian Penal Code that allowed men to file adultery charges against other men who have engaged in illicit relations but did not allow women to file charges against their husbands.<ref>Prakash, Satya, "What constitutes adultery?" ''Hindustan Times'', 25 December 2006, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930044555/http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1880193,0008.htm]</ref>

The Commission has also worked to guarantee women security in unconventional relationships.<ref name="oneworld"/>

===Mangalore pub attack controversy===
{{Main|2009 Mangalore pub attack}}
The NCW came under sharp criticism for their response to the attack by forty male members of the Hindu right-wing [[Sri Ram Sena]] on eight women in a bar in [[Mangalore]] in late January 2009. Video from the attack shows the women were punched, pulled by their hair, and thrown out of the pub.<ref name="mangalorean">{{cite news|url=http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=110268|title=Mangalore: Attack on Pub now a National Concern!|access-date=6 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130065059/http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=110268|archive-date=30 January 2009}}</ref>

NCW member Nirmala Venkatesh was sent to assess the situation, and said in an interview that the pub did not have adequate security and that the women should have protected themselves. Venkatesh said, "If the girls feel they were not doing anything wrong why are they afraid to come forward and give a statement?"<ref name="rocheinterview">{{cite web|url=http://www.daijiworld.com/chan/exclusive_arch.asp?ex_id=1023|title=Mangalore Pub Attack - National Commission for Women Recommends Punishment Under Article 307|last=Roche|first=Florine|date=2009-01-30|access-date=2009-02-06}}</ref> On 6 February, the NCW said they decided not to accept Venkatesh's report but would not be sending a new team to Mangalore. On 27 February, the Prime Minister's Office approved the removal of Nirmala Venkatesh on disciplinary grounds.<ref name="msnreject">{{cite news|url=http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1815488 |title=NCW rejects report, blames security lapse for pub attacks |date=2009-02-06 |access-date=2009-02-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207080031/http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1815488 |archive-date=7 February 2009 }}</ref>

===Guwahati molestation controversy===
{{Main|2012 Guwahati molestation case}}
The NCW came under fire again after the molestation of a 17-year-old girl by a gang of men outside a pub in [[Guwahati]] on 9 July 2012. NCW member [[Alka Lamba]] was accused of leaking the name of the minor victim to the media, and was subsequently removed from the fact-finding committee, though she remains a member of the commission.<ref name="NDTV">{{cite web |title=Guwahati molestation case: Chief Minister's office accidentally names victim, then retracts |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/cheat-sheet/guwahati-molestation-case-alka-lamba-national-commission-for-women-member-who-named-victim-is-sacked-244007 |website=www.ndtv.com |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> The following week, NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma made comments suggesting that women "be careful how you dress", which invited criticism that she was guilty of [[victim blaming]]. The controversy led activists to call for a restructuring of the commission.<ref name="indiatoday">{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/guwahati-molestation-ncw-chief-mamta-sharma-advises-women-to-dress-carefully/1/208869.html|title=Guwahati molestation: NCW chief Mamta Sharma advises women to dress 'carefully'|date=18 June 2012|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="ibnlive">{{cite news|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/guwahati-shame-activists-demand-ncw-rejig/271979-3-251.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719084329/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/guwahati-shame-activists-demand-ncw-rejig/271979-3-251.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2012|title=Guwahati molestation: Activists demand NCW restructure|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref>

=== Badaun rape and murder controversy ===
In 2021, the NCW was once again criticized for engaging in [[victim blaming]] following the gang rape and murder of a woman in [[Budaun|Badaun]], Uttar Pradesh. A two-member delegation from the NCW was sent to the site of the incident to meet with the victim's family and prepare a fact-finding report. NCW member Chandramukhi Devi, who was part of the delegation, stated to the press that part of the blame for the incident lay with the victim, as she had chosen to visit the temple late in the evening. Devi stated, "A woman should not go out at odd hours under the influence of somebody. I think if she had not gone out in the evening, or had some child along with her, this could have been prevented."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-07|title=NCW Member's Shocker: Badaun Gangrape-Murder Victim Shouldn't Have Gone Out in Evening|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/badaun-gangrape-murder-may-not-have-happened-had-victim-not-gone-out-alone-in-evening-ncw-member-3258116.html|access-date=2021-01-08|website=News18|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-07|title=Incident could have been avoided had woman not gone out in evening: NCW member on UP gangrape|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/incident-could-have-been-avoided-had-woman-not-gone-out-in-evening-ncw-member-on-up-gangrape-936353.html|access-date=2021-01-08|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref> The comments attracted wide criticism on social media, as well as from celebrities.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-07|title=Taapsee Pannu, Urmila Matondkar, Pooja Bhatt slam NCW member's victim-blaming comments about Budaun gang-rape|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/taapsee-pannu-urmila-matondkar-pooja-bhatt-slam-ncw-member-s-victim-blaming-comments-about-badaun-gang-rape/story-Mlknbnbr8GV2xmLfpQLNgO.html|access-date=2021-01-08|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bureau|first=ABP News|date=2021-01-07|title=Budaun Gangrape: NCW Member Blames Victim For Going Out In Evening, Irks Controversy|url=https://news.abplive.com/news/india/budaun-gangrape-ncw-member-blames-victim-for-going-out-in-evening-irks-controversy-1431976|access-date=2021-01-08|website=news.abplive.com|language=en}}</ref> Following public criticism, Devi withdrew her remarks.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Scroll Staff|title=NCW member shames Budaun gangrape victim for going out alone in evening, withdraws statement later|url=https://scroll.in/latest/983428/budaun-gangrape-murder-ncw-member-blames-woman-for-going-out-alone-in-the-evening|access-date=2021-01-08|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Chairpersons==
<br />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No. !! Name !! Portrait !! From !! To
|-
| 1 || [[Jayanti Patnaik]]
|| [[File:J Patnaik.tif|100px]]
|| {{Dts|1992|2|3|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|1995|1|30|format=dmy}}
|-
| 2 || [[V. Mohini Giri]]
|| [[File:The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting Padma Bhushan to Dr. (Smt.) V. Mohini Giri (Social Activist), at an Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 23, 2007.jpg|100px]]
|| {{Dts|1995|7|21|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|1998|7|20|format=dmy}}
|-
| 3 || [[Vibha Parthasarathy]] ||
|
{{Dts|1999|01|18|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|2002|01|17|format=dmy}}
|-
| 4 || [[Poornima Advani]]
|| [[File:The Chairperson of National Commission for Women Dr. Poornima Advani addressing the Media in Guwahati on January 6, 2005 (1).jpg|100px]]
|| {{Dts|2002|01|25|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|2005|01|24|format=dmy}}
|-
| 5 || [[Girija Vyas]]
|| [[File:Girija Vyas.jpg|100px]]
|| {{Dts|2005|02|16|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|2008|02|15|format=dmy}}
|-
| 6 || Girija Vyas ||
|
{{Dts|2008|04|09|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|2011|04|08|format=dmy}}
|-
| 7 || [[Mamta Sharma (politician)|Mamta Sharma]]<ref name="Hindu 20110803">{{cite news |title=Mamta Sharma is NCW chief |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/mamta-sharma-is-ncw-chief/article2316551.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |date=3 August 2011 |location=New Delhi |issn=0971-751X |access-date=19 September 2014}}</ref> ||
|
{{Dts|2011|08|02|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|2014|08|01|format=dmy}}
|-
| 8 || [[Lalitha Kumaramangalam]] || [[File:The Chairperson, National Commission of Women (NCW), Smt. Lalitha Kumaramangalam delivering the valedictory address at the 5th National Conference of Heads of Prisons of States and UTs on Prison Reforms, in New Delhi.jpg|100px]]
|| {{Dts|2014|09|29|format=dmy}}
|| {{Dts|2017|09|28|format=dmy}}
|-
|9
|[[Rekha Sharma (politician)|Rekha Sharma]]
|
|7 August 2018<ref>{{cite news |title=Rekha Sharma Is New National Commission for Women Chairperson |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rekha-sharma-is-new-national-commission-for-women-chairperson-1897965 |access-date=11 March 2021 |work=NDTV.com}}</ref>
|6 August 2021
|-
|10
|[[Rekha Sharma (politician)|Rekha Sharma]]
|
|7 August 2021<ref>{{cite news |title=Rekha Sharma Is New National Commission for Women Chairperson |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rekha-sharma-is-new-national-commission-for-women-chairperson-1897965 |access-date=11 March 2021 |work=NDTV.com}}</ref>
|Present
|-
|}

== State Level Women Commission ==

Following is the list of state level women commissions

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Rank || State || States Women commission
|-
|1
|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|[[Andhra Pradesh Women Commission]]
|-
|2
|[[Arunachal Pradesh]]
|[[Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women]]
|-
|3
|[[Assam]]
|[[Assam State Commission for Women]]
|-
|4
|[[Bihar]]
|[[Bihar State Women Commission]]
|-
|5
|[[Chhattisgarh]]
|[[Chhattisgarh State Women Commission]]
|-
|6
|[[Goa]]
|[[Goa State Commission For Women]]
|-
|7
|[[Gujarat]]
|[[Gujarat State Commission For Women]]
|-
|8
|[[Haryana]]
|[[Haryana State Commission for Women]]
|-
|9
|[[Himachal Pradesh]]
|[[Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Women]]
|-
|10
|[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
|[[Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women]]
|-
|11
|[[Jharkhand]]
|[[Jharkhand State Commission for Women]]
|-
|12
|[[Karnataka]]
|[[Karnataka State Commission for Women]]
|-
|13
|[[Kerala]]
|[[Kerala Women's Commission]]
|-
|14
|[[Madhya Pradesh]]
|[[Madhya Pradesh State Commission For Women]]
|-
|15
|[[Maharashtra]]
|[[Maharashtra State Commission for Woman]]
|-
|16
|[[Manipur]]
|[[Manipur State Commission for Women]]
|-
|17
|[[Meghalaya]]
|[[Meghalaya State Commission for Women]]
|-
|18
|[[Mizoram]]
|[[Mizoram State Commission for Women]]
|-
|19
|[[Nagaland]]
|[[Nagaland Women Commission]]
|-
|20
|[[Odisha]]
|[[Odisha State Commission For Women]]
|-
|21
|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|[[Punjab State Commission For Women]]
|-
|22
|[[Rajasthan]]
|[[Rajasthan State Commission For Women]]
|-
|22
|[[Sikkim]]
|[[Sikkim State Commission For Women]]
|-
|23
|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|[[Tamil Nadu State Commission For Women]]
|-
|24
|[[Telangana]]
|[[Telangana State Women Commission]]
|-
|25
|[[Tripura]]
|[[Tripura State Commission For Women]]
|-
|26
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|[[Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission]]
|-
|27
|[[Uttarakhand]]
|[[Uttarakhand State Commission For Women]]
|-
|28
|[[West Bengal]]
|[[West Bengal Commission for Women]]
|-
|29
|[[Delhi]]
|[[Delhi Commission for Women]]
|-
|30
|[[Pondicherry]]
|[[Puducherry Women Commission]]
|-
|}

== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Domestic violence in India]]
* [[Dowry system in India]]
* [[Female foeticide in India]]
* [[Feminism in India]]
* [[Gender inequality in India]]
* [[Gender pay gap in India]]
* [[Men's rights movement in India]]
* [[Rape in India]]
* [[Welfare schemes for women in India]]
* [[Women in India]]
* [[Women in Indian Armed Forces]]
* [[Women's Reservation Bill]]
* [[Women's suffrage in India]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://ncw.nic.in The National Commission for Women, India, official website]

{{Indian commissions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Commission For Women}}
[[Category:Commissions in India]]
[[Category:Indian commissions and inquiries]]
[[Category:Women's rights in India]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in Delhi]]
[[Category:Women's organisations based in India]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1992]]

National Commission for Women - Revision history

Irshad. gori: basic expand article for consistency and added references

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article