MUMBAI, May 24 -- The Maharashtra government is drawing up a policy for single women, to offer financial assistance for entrepreneurial ventures, extend legal aid in property claims, provide reservation in housing, and set aside educational quotas for their children. The policy, called 'Ekal Mahila', will benefit an estimated 7.5 million women in the state, a figure that rises to nearly 20 million, or over 15% of the population, when children in these households are included. The policy will be drawn up by a task force. It will consist of 22 officers from various government departments and a representative of an NGO working for single women. The move aims to address gaps in welfare measures for unmarried, widowed, divorced and abandoned women, sex workers, and others. Government officials said that despite four women-centric policies introduced by the state since 1994, single women received only limited mention, highlighting the need for a dedicated policy. The framework also aligns with the state's Vision 2047 target of increasing the percentage of women in the workforce from 44% to 70%. "The state is considering measures such as free education and priority hostel admissions for children of single women, interest-free loans for women entrepreneurs, employment opportunities and simplified legal procedures to secure maintenance and property rights after a spouse's death," said an official with the women and child welfare department. Several neglected areas have also been identified, including delays in maintenance cases, expansion of family courts, livelihood support for elderly single women, shelter concerns in urban areas, and challenges faced by divorced women, nomadic communities, sex workers and single mothers. Government estimates peg the number of single women in the state at least 7.5 million, including 95,000 women whose husbands died during the Covid-19 pandemic. The number could be higher if unaccounted Covid-19 deaths are taken into account. Heramb Kulkarni, state convenor of Sau Ekal Mahila Samiti, a grassroots organisation, and a member of the government-appointed task force, said, "Employment, higher education for their children and property rights are among the major issues single women face after losing their husbands. In many cases, in-laws create hurdles in transferring property to widows because they do not want ownership to be divided. Many widowed women are pressured to return to their maternal homes." He said most widowed women in rural areas married young and are widowed at an early age due to alcoholism, accidents or, more recently, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "They are left to care for children, making remarriage difficult. Since many were married young, they often lack education or employable skills, making survival even harder," he said. Urban women struggle with the rising cost of living, while rural women face difficulties because they are dependent on agriculture and farmland, which is not easily transferred in their names," Kulkarni said. He said the organisation has demanded interest-free funding of up to Rs.2 lakh to help women become financially independent. "We are also demanding reservation in government jobs and MHADA housing schemes. Urban local bodies already reserve 5% of their development funds for women and child welfare schemes. We are seeking 1% of this allocation specifically for single women," he added....