Who is Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, the new chairperson of the National Commission for Women

The central government on Saturday (October 19) appointed Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar as the new chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW).

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar succeeds Rekha Sharma, whose tenure as NCW chief ended on August 6.

“NCW is pleased to inform that the Central Government, under Section 3, NCW Act, 1990, Smt. Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar as chairperson of the National Commission for Women,” the women’s panel said in an X-post.

“In accordance with Section 3 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (20 of 1990), the Central Government hereby appoints Smt. Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar as Chairman of the National Commission for Women (NCW) for a period of three years from the date of acceptance of the post, or until the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever occurs first,” the Ministry of Women and Child Development said in an official notification on Saturday.

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, currently national secretary of the Bhartiya Janata Party and co-chairman of the party’s Rajasthan unit, has served in various ranks within the party over the decades.

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar is from Aurangabad district in Maharashtra.

Despite having no political background, she joined the BJP as a booth worker in 1995 and steadily worked her way up, contributing significantly to the party’s electoral strength.

From 2000 to 2010, she was an elected member of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, and between 2007 and 2010, she held the position of Mayor, representing the general and open category.

During her time as mayor, Rahatkar also served as vice-chairman of the National Mayors’ Council and chairperson of the Maharashtra Mayors’ Council.

Additionally, she held the role of National General Secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha for two consecutive terms from 2010 to 2014, before being appointed National President of BJP Mahila Morcha in 2014.

Besides appointing Rahatkar, the government has also appointed Archana Majumdar as a new member of the NCW.

Majumdar has been officially appointed as a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW) for a term of three years, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

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