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 the welfare, dignity and security of women.

The first Bill imposes a legal obligation on all workplaces, government, private and unorganized sectors to provide essential menstrual facilities, including clean toilets and adequate sanitary infrastructure. Dr. While presenting the bill, Kavya said that providing such facilities is important not only for the health and dignity of women but also for increasing their productivity.

The Second Bill seeks urgent government intervention, proposing measures such as immediate financial assistance for single women, widows and women in distress, a basic monthly salary, housing security and strengthened social welfare programmes. The bill underlines the urgent need for institutional support systems for such vulnerable women. Both Bills were approved unanimously by voice vote

Dr. While introducing the bill on single women and widows, Kavya highlighted the harsh realities faced by thousands of widows in India, many of whom live in deplorable conditions after being abandoned by their own relatives and even their own families. Widows without a source of income, especially those with dependent children, often face extreme poverty.

The situation is even more worrying in remote and rural areas, where widows are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and being forced into prostitution, he said. In some communities, widows are branded as “witches”, subjected to violence and socially ostracized. Many widows work as servants to make ends meet. Others remain unmarried due to family responsibilities and are later abandoned by the families they support.

Dr. Kavya also argued that there have been repeated calls in India for additional labor law amendments to encourage women to take paid leave during their menstrual periods, and that the menstrual leave movement is gaining momentum across the country.

Citing research from University College London that found the pain of menstrual cramps was “almost as bad as having a heart attack”, she said women should have the right to separate during their period, given their biological complexity and the intense pain they have to endure.

Therefore, the bill aims to give female employees the right to paid menstrual leave for two days. It also aims to provide better opportunities for rest at work during menstruation.