https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Smart Move in a Smart City: A Welfare Initiative for Women and Lactating Mothers

A brainchild of Ms. Aditi Garg, the CEO of Smart City Indore, it’s a `women-only’ centre set up at four different locations in the city. Aptly named ‘SHE-Kunj’, these centres act as waiting or feeding rooms for women at the most crowded spots of Indore.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Yet again, IAS officer Aditi Garg and the Indore Smart City have added another feather in their caps. This time it’s not about preserving Indore’s heritage or earning revenue from reducing carbon emission (as we reported earlier in Indian Masterminds), but for the first time a centre named ‘SHE-Kunj’ has been launched which aims at providing much needed convenience to women. With the help of this facility, women can now avail sanitation facility, separate feeding rooms, diaper & sanitary pad dispensing machines and other amenities at some of the most crowded places in Indore.

The initiative has been taken up at four locations: Palasia Women Police Station, Chappan Dukan (56 Shops), Vijay Nagar and Meghdoot Upvan, with the aim of providing a clean and safe environment for women where they can avail specialised and required amenities.

While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Aditi Garg discussed about the purpose and benefits of this novel idea.

THE IDEA

She said, “We have identified some areas in the city which are heavily crowded such as market places, bus stops, hospitals etc. and are coming up with ‘SHE-Kunj’ centres, which are a mix of women toilets and feeding centres.”

“If a feeding mother is out with her young one in a crowded place and wants to find a safe and secure spot where she can comfortably sit, relax and have the right environment to feed the baby, the ‘SHE-Kunj’ center will assist them with all their specified needs,” she added.

Launching SHE-Kunj in Indore

Apart from the four centres which are already functional, 21 more such centres are coming up in Indore with the ardent leadership and diligent planning of the Smart City team.

THE PURPOSE BEHIND THE INITIATIVE

While speaking about the need to launch such an initiative, Ms. Garg explained “Before this initiative, women used to have access to only public toilets and no feeding centres or waiting rooms, unlike in foreign countries. We also felt the need to provide such facilities to women because such centres do not even exist here.”

“The need also arises from the fact that these centres are non-existent and secondly, in the age of Covid pandemic and social distancing, such simple tasks become more difficult for women. This is mainly because of no access to a clean environment, safety, security, privacy, and social distancing. But by launching the ‘SHE-Kunj’ centres, all of these hurdles can be incorporated,” she emphasized.

SHE Kunj Centre

Each centre is built in an area covering 400 square feet and offers home-like facilities in the middle of a market or any other crowded place. Apart from the sanitary pad machines, women there also have access to beauty and cosmetic products. The centres are guarded by the deployed caretakers and women guards.

BENEFITS OF THE INITIATIVE

Taking the instance of the ‘SHE-Kunj’ which has been built near a police station, Ms. Garg listed out some benefits which she noted after the facilities were started there. She said “There is a regulation that you cannot have a woman waiting inside a police station, so we started realizing that women are using these centres to wait and relax, instead of waiting inside the police station. With this, we saw a kind of synergy and effect which we did not even expect coming out of this initiative.”

Sanitation facility
Waiting room

This idea has left the local police coming up with demands of opening more such waiting rooms in the same vicinity so that women have ease to sit and relax in a safe environment. This welfare initiative has been prepared on the basis of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in which the contractor would also maintain this centre for the next 15 years.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
supreme-court-4
SCBA Raises Alarm Over Delhi LG’s Notification Allowing Police to Give Evidence at Police Stations-Know more
justice-photo
UP CM Yogi Adityanath Stresses Accessible, Swift Justice and Announces ₹50 Crore Fund to Strengthen Judiciary- Details Inside
Rampage missile
Indian Defence Gets a Boost as IAF Orders Rampage Missiles Following Operation Sindoor; DRDO Demonstrates Next-Gen UAV-Launched Weaponry
Degree with IAS
Dr. Lankapalli Bullayya College Launches Innovative ‘Degree with IAS’ Programme to Help Students Prepare for Civil Services
bihar
Bihar on Fast Track: PM Modi and CM Nitish Unveil Rs13,000 Cr Mega Development Push in Bodh Gaya- Details Inside
Oil India legal workshop
Oil India (OIL) Conducts Legal Awareness Workshop on Contractual Disputes, Launches Vigilance Campaign
(ACB) Court in Ranchi
Jharkhand Liquor Scam: Retired IAS Officer Amit Prakash, Chhattisgarh Businessman Granted Bail - Know More
Department of Justice India
Change in Justice Ministry: IAS RK Goyal to Retire, Niraj Verma to Assume Charge
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
supreme-court-4
SCBA Raises Alarm Over Delhi LG’s Notification Allowing Police to Give Evidence at Police Stations-Know more
justice-photo
UP CM Yogi Adityanath Stresses Accessible, Swift Justice and Announces ₹50 Crore Fund to Strengthen Judiciary- Details Inside
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT