Warangal MP Kadiyam Kavya introduces two landmark bills for Women’s welfare in Lok Sabha

In a historic moment for women’s representation in Parliament, Warangal MP Kadiyam Kavya became the first woman MP from the State to introduce two Private Member’s Bills in the Lok Sabha, aimed at strengthening women’s welfare, dignity, and safety.

The first Bill places a statutory obligation on all workplaces, government, private, and unorganised sectors to provide compulsory menstruation-related facilities, including clean washrooms, and adequate sanitary infrastructure. Dr. Kavya said, while introducing the bill, that ensuring such facilities was essential not only for women’s health and dignity, but also for enhancing their productivity.

The second Bill seeks immediate government intervention for single women, widows, and women in distress, proposing measures such as emergency financial aid, a basic monthly stipend, housing security, and strengthened social welfare schemes. The Bill highlights the pressing need for institutional support systems for such vulnerable women. Both Bills received unanimous approval through a voice vote

Dr. Kavya, while presenting the Bill on single women and widows, drew attention to the harsh realities faced by thousands of widows in India, many of whom live in deplorable conditions after being abandoned by their in-laws or even their own families. Without a source of income, widows, especially those with dependent children, often face extreme poverty.

She said the situation is even more alarming in remote and rural regions, where widows are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. In some communities, widows are branded as “witches”, subjected to violence, and socially ostracised. A large number of widows work as housemaids to sustain themselves. Others remain unmarried due to family responsibilities only to be abandoned later by the very families they supported.

Dr. Kavya also argued that there have been repeated calls in India for additional labour law amendments pushing for women to be entitled to paid leave during their periods, and the menstruation leave movement has gathered steam across the country.

Referring to research conducted at University College London, which revealed that menstrual cramping pain is “almost as bad as having a heart attack,” she said, given the biological complexity of females and the intense pain they have to suffer, they should have the right to be entitled to leave during menstruation.

The Bill, therefore, seeks to entitle female employees to paid menstrual leave for two days. It also seeks to provide better facilities for rest at the workplace during menstruation.