Varanasi: The holy city of Varanasi will have a hostel for working women, as the UP cabinet, chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday approved the construction of a 500-capacity CM shramjeevi women’s hostel in the city, along with a new hostel for students of Basant Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Rajghat.Officials said the shramjeevi hostel will provide a major relief to working women coming to the city for jobs and self-employment. With safe and affordable accommodation available in one campus, women will no longer have to struggle to find secure housing. The facility will help save both time and expenses, allowing them to focus better on their work.Under the CM shramjeevi women’s hostel scheme, the cabinet approved the free transfer of 6,000 sqmt of land belonging to the social welfare department in favour of the women welfare department for the construction of the state-funded hostel in Varanasi.District probation officer Pankaj Mishra said the land is located near Sahitya Naka in Ramnagar. The proposed multi-storey building will have accommodation facilities for 500 women.Officials said the hostel will offer safe and affordable residential facilities at minimum rates for working women. It will include 24×7 security, CCTV cameras, a canteen, laundry, gym and medical facilities. A crèche will also be set up within the hostel premises to care for the children of working mothers.The project aims to encourage women to pursue jobs and self-employment by providing them with a safe and supportive living environment.The cabinet also approved the construction of a new hostel for students of Basant Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Rajghat. The hostel will be built under the ‘accelerated economic development scheme’ at a cost of Rs. 248.3 lakh. Vasant Mahila Mahavidyalaya, located at Rajghat fort, is affiliated with Banaras Hindu University.“The main objective of the chief minister shramjeevi women’s hostel scheme is to provide safe, convenient and affordable accommodation to working women, especially those working away from their homes, so that they can become self-reliant without worrying about housing,” said Mishra.
