{"id":4910,"date":"2026-04-04T11:01:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=4910"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:11:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:41:19","slug":"national-commission-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/national-commission-for-women\/","title":{"rendered":"National Commission for Women, NCW Act, Powers, Functions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>National Commission for Women<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>The National Commission for Women (NCW) is an autonomous and statutory body established in 1992 under the\u00a0<strong>National Commission for Women Act, 1990,\u00a0<\/strong>to protect and promote women's rights in India.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>It is responsible for reviewing and addressing issues related to the rights of women and for making recommendations for the protection and promotion of these rights.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><strong>NCW Composition<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>As per\u00a0<strong>Section 3<\/strong>\u00a0of the National Commission for Women Act 1990, the Commission shall consist of a\u00a0<strong>Chairperson<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>5Members,\u00a0<\/strong>and<strong>\u00a0a Member-Secretary\u00a0<\/strong>who are nominated by the\u00a0<strong>Central Government<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<figure>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 13.75px\">\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"height: 13.75px\"><strong>Composition<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"height: 13.75px\"><strong>Eligibility<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 13px\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 13px\">Chairperson<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 13px\">Committed to the cause of women<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 73px\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 73px\">5 Members<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 73px\">\r\n<p>Amongst persons of ability, integrity, and standing who have had experience in\u00a0<strong>law or legislation<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>trade unionism<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>women's voluntary organizations<\/strong>, administration, health, education, etc.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0At least one Member shall be from amongst persons belonging to the\u00a0<strong>Scheduled Castes<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Scheduled Tribes,\u00a0<\/strong>respectively.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 26px\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 26px\">Member-Secretary<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 26px\">An expert in the field of management, organizational structure, or sociological movement (or) an officer who is a member of a civil service of the Union or of an all-India service or holds a civil post under the Union with appropriate experience.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><strong>Term<\/strong>: The Chairperson and every Member shall hold office for a period of\u00a0<strong>three<\/strong>\u00a0years.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Removal<\/strong>: The\u00a0<strong>Central Government<\/strong>\u00a0may by order remove the Chairperson or any other Member from office if the Chairperson or any other member:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Is adjudged insolvent.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Refuses to act or becomes incapable of acting.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Has so abused his office as to render his continuance in office detrimental to the public interest.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offense which in the opinion of the Central Government, involves moral turpitude.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>: No person shall be removed until that person has been given an opportunity of being heard in the matter.<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>National Commission for Women Functions and Responsibilities<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>As per\u00a0<strong>Section 10\u00a0<\/strong>of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, The commission shall perform all or any of the following functions:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><strong>Investigate<\/strong>\u00a0and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Present<\/strong>\u00a0to the Central Government annually reports upon the working of these safeguards.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Make in such reports<\/strong>\u00a0recommendations for the effective implementation of those safeguards for improving the conditions of women by the union or any state.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Review<\/strong>\u00a0the existing provisions of the Constitution and other laws affecting women and recommend amendments thereto so as to suggest remedial legislative measures to meet any lacunae, inadequacies, or shortcomings in such legislations.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Take up cases<\/strong>\u00a0of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating to women with the appropriate authorities.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Look into complaints<\/strong>\u00a0and take suo moto notice of matters relating to the deprivation of women's rights and non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Undertake<\/strong>\u00a0promotional and educational research.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Participate<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>advise<\/strong>\u00a0on the planning process of socio-economic development of women.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><strong>National Commission for Women Powers<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>The Commission, while investigating, shall have all the powers of a\u00a0<strong>civil court<\/strong>\u00a0in respect of the following matters:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><strong>Summoning<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>enforcing<\/strong>\u00a0the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining him\/her on oath.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Requiring<\/strong>\u00a0the discovery and production of any document.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Receiving<\/strong>\u00a0evidence on affidavits.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Requisitioning<\/strong>\u00a0any public record or copy thereof from any court or office.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Issuing<\/strong>\u00a0commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><strong>What are various initiatives undertaken by NCW to carry out its mandate?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>In keeping with its mandate, the Commission initiated various steps to improve the status of women and worked for their economic empowerment.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The Commission completed its visits to all the States\/UTs and prepared\u00a0<strong>\u2018Gender Profiles\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0to assess the status of women and their empowerment.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>It received a large number of complaints and acted\u00a0<strong>suo-moto<\/strong>\u00a0in several cases to provide speedy justice.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>It took up the issue of child marriage and sponsored legal awareness. programmes,\u00a0<strong>Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats,<\/strong>\u00a0and reviewed laws such as\u00a0<strong>Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, PNDT Act 1994, Indian Penal Code 1860,<\/strong>\u00a0and the National Commission for Women Act 1990 to make them more stringent and effective.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>The Commission has proposed amendments to the\u00a0<strong>Hindu Marriage Act 1955<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/medical-termination-of-pregnancy-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0<strong>Indian Penal Code 1960<\/strong>, etc.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>It organized workshops, constituted expert committees on economic empowerment of women, conducted seminars for gender awareness, and took up publicity campaigns against\u00a0<strong>female foeticide<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>violence against women<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>NCW has recently established a \"<strong>J&amp;K and Ladakh Cell<\/strong>\" to address women's complaints and promote their development in all areas within these newly-formed UTs, due to the unique challenges faced by women there.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><strong>National Commission for Women Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>The National Commission for Women (NCW) faces a number of challenges in its efforts to protect and promote the rights of women in India. Some of them include:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><strong>Limited legal power:<\/strong>\u00a0The NCW's authority is mainly recommendatory in nature, and it does not have the power to enforce its recommendations or take legal action against violators.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Lack of resources:\u00a0<\/strong>The NCW often faces a shortage of staff and resources, which hinders its ability to carry out its mandate effectively.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>A\u00a0<strong>report<\/strong>\u00a0by the\u00a0<strong>Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs<\/strong>\u00a0noted that the NCW has a shortage of staff and needs additional resources to effectively address women's issues.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Inadequate representation:<\/strong>\u00a0The NCW has been criticized for inadequate representation of marginalized women, including those from lower castes, tribes, and religious minorities.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>A study by the\u00a0<strong>Centre for Social Research<\/strong>\u00a0found that the NCW lacks representation from these groups and needs to be more inclusive in its approach.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Limited outreach:<\/strong>\u00a0The NCW's outreach efforts are often limited, and it may not be able to effectively reach out to women in remote areas or those who are illiterate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><strong>What measures could be recommended for the effective functioning of the commission?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Some recommendations for the effective functioning of the National Commission for Women (NCW):<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><strong>Increasing awareness:<\/strong>\u00a0The NCW could deploy resources at the district level to bring attention to local atrocities and raise awareness about the NCW.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Strengthening the legal powers:<\/strong>\u00a0To enhance the NCW's ability to effectively address issues related to the rights of women and to strengthen the laws for the safety of women in the workplace, it would be beneficial to give the NCW more legal powers.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The 257th report of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/law-commission-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Law Commission of India<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0recommended that the NCW be given greater powers to take action against violators of women's rights.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Increasing the funding<\/strong>: To ensure the NCW has the resources it needs to effectively carry out its mandate, it would be helpful for the central government to devolve more funds to the NCW and to give it an independent budget.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Outreach to remote areas:<\/strong>\u00a0The NCW needs to have effective outreach mechanisms to reach women in remote areas or those who are illiterate.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The\u00a0<strong>Human Rights Watch<\/strong>\u00a0has recommended that the NCW work to improve its outreach efforts and ensure it reaches women needing assistance.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Education and empowerment:<\/strong> The NCW should educate women about their rights and empower them to make informed decisions regarding their lives. 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1992.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[265,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-4910","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-quest-level-3","8":"tag-national-commission-for-women","9":"tag-quest"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4910"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20278,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4910\/revisions\/20278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}