Kochi | National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Tuesday said that she held a meeting with the Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) of government departments here to review how they were working and to ensure they do not just remain on paper.

Rahatkar, who is on a three-day visit to Kerala, told reporters here that along with the meeting, efforts were also made to properly complete the training of the members of the ICCs and Local Complaints Committees (LCC) set up under the Sexual Harassment at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act.

"This was done to ensure that the committees do not just remain on paper and function effectively. We also told them it was compulsory to work in accordance with the law. I am sure they will benefit from the review meeting and the training," she said.

Giving details of her other activities during the day, the NCW chief said that a 'Jan Sunwai' or public hearing was held at the Collectorate Conference Hall here to deal with several complaints received from women for whom it was difficult to approach the commission's head office in Delhi.

Rahatkar said that 36 complaints were received by the commission and of them 31 were resolved or closed, while five remain pending.

She said the objective behind the public hearing was to provide relief to women and such efforts will continue.

She said that she also met with the chairperson of the Kerala State Women's Commission and had a good interaction.

The NCW chief said that the women's commission in Kerala was working effectively.

Rahatkar said that later in the day she would be visiting the One Stop Centre for women at Kakkanad here as the NCW has powers to visit such institutions, examine how they were working and give a report to the government about it.

According to her itinerary for the next two days, she would be visiting women plantation workers at different estates in Idukki, hold meetings with estate managers, trade union leaders and labour department officials in Munnar and inaugurate a transit shelter for women and children at Aluva.