NEW DELHI: At a time when marital disputes are on the rise, National Commission for Women (NCW) will mark International Women’s Day by launching 21 pre-marital communication centres in nine states, including Delhi, which will provide information and counselling to couples on the social, psychological and behavioural aspects of marriage. These centres will be located in govt spaces under the supervision of district and municipal authorities. “NCW plans to set up these centres across all districts in country over the next one year. We will try to open such centres at locations near marriage registration offices,” NCW chief Vijaya Rahatkar said Friday.
“The aim is to provide guidance to young generations on how to have a happy marriage. The centres were conceived after extensive consultations with over 100 experts from across country. A comprehensive pre-marital communication programme was developed and key topics were identified,” Rahatkar said.
To be launched Saturday, these centres will open in Rajasthan’s Udaipur and Bikaner, MP’s Bhopal, Jhabua and Sagar, one centre each in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Khurda (Odisha). Besides, there will be centres in Nashik, Latur and Mumbai in Maharashtra; Ahmedabad and Botad in Gujarat; and Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. Each centre will require 150-200 sq-ft and will be staffed by trained counsellors. The NCW chief urged district collectors to support the initiative by putting up hoardings, banners & distributing brochures in universities, offices & marriage registration venues.