In a milestone movement, the Mother and Child Room facility across 100 railway stations in India is all set to launch a private space in waiting rooms for women so that they can comfortably feed their babies. The move will bring a huge relief to the mothers travelling with infants.
According to the letter written last week by Member (Traffic), Railway Board, to Secretary, WCD mentioned that Railway Ministry has asked the Zonal heads to provide a separate area within the waiting hall at all important stations to enable lactating mothers to feed their babies.
The letter also mentioned, “The corner is provided with a small table and a chair with appropriate partition/ screen around it.” 100 waiting halls have been provided with this facility, as per the communication. Delighted over the move, Maneka Gandhi, Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development said, “Breastfeeding is extremely important for the health of a child. We stand for clean, safe and exclusive areas in public places where women can breastfeed their children peacefully. I hope this facility will be extended to all railway stations.”
The minister had earlier written to railway minister, Suresh Prabhu, complaining about the lack of facilities at railway stations. “When women passengers wait on stations for long hours, they cannot breastfeed their baby. They have no facilities to change their clothes as well. And this is due to lack of infrastructure at railway stations”, the letter read.
