Government concerned over sexual offences against women: President

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of the Delhi gangrape case, the government on Thursday said it is deeply concerned over such incidents and has begun implementing a series of administrative measures to improve safety of women.

Addressing the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee noted that the government has already promulgated an ordinance to amend the criminal law to provide stringent punishment for heinous sexual offences against women.

"My government is deeply concerned about incidents of sexual offences against women... The government has also begun to implement a series of administrative measures to improve the safety and security of women in the country," he said.

The statement comes against the backdrop of the gangrape and brutal assault of a 23-year-old girl on December 16 in a moving bus in Delhi, which triggered unprecedented outrage across the country.

Following this, the government set up the Justice J S Verma Committee which came out with a series of recommendations, including amendments to criminal law.

On the basis of these recommendations, the government promulgated the ordinance to provide for stringent punishment for heinous sexual offences against women.

Mukherjee said the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha.