Two-Day National Awareness Programme on POSH Act Begins at Vigyan Bhawan

The National Commission for Women's (NCW) two-day National Awareness Programme on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, began at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, with Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Annpurna Devi as Chief Guest. Organised by NCW, the event brought together senior government officials, legal experts, Internal and Local Committee representatives, and civil society stakeholders to strengthen awareness and implementation of the POSH Act.

About the POSH Act 2013

• Full name: Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act.
• Enacted in 2013, to protect women from sexual harassment at their place of work.
• Applicable to all workplaces, government and private, across the country.
• Mandates every organisation to constitute an Internal Committee (IC) to handle complaints; Local Committees (LCs) handle complaints at the district level for smaller establishments and the unorganised sector.
• Aims to ensure safe, dignified and inclusive workplaces, enabling greater participation of women in the workforce.

Initiatives Undertaken by the Ministry to Strengthen Implementation of the POSH Act

• Steps to help organisations better understand their legal responsibilities under the Act.
• Support for building effective institutional mechanisms for prevention and redressal of workplace sexual harassment.
• Emphasis on fair inquiry procedures and protection of complainant privacy.
• Focus on adherence to principles of natural justice during inquiries.
• Push for timely disposal of complaints within statutory timelines.
• Expansion of the SHe-Box portal for transparent, time-bound grievance redressal.

About SHe-Box Portal

The Minister underlined the growing role of the SHe-Box portal in promoting transparency and timely grievance redressal, calling it a key digital platform for time-bound complaint resolution and a reflection of the government's commitment to women's workplace safety.

Union Minister Released the Booklet on Inquiry Procedures for Internal Committees

Smt. Annpurna Devi released the NCW-prepared Booklet on Inquiry Procedures for Internal Committees (ICs) and Local Committees (LCs), meant to guide fair, transparent and time-bound inquiries under the Act. The programme also featured a welcome address by Shri Sudeep Jain, Member Secretary, NCW, an inaugural address by Chairperson Smt. Vijaya Rahatkar, and technical sessions on complainant/respondent rights and inquiry procedures.