Parliament Question: Implementation of the POSH Act

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UN- STARRED QUESTION NO. 5678 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POSH ACT

5678. ADV. PRIYA SAROJ:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Central Government offices where Internal Complaints Committees were not constituted within the statutory timeline under the POSH Act during the last five years, Ministry-wise;

(b) the total number of complaints received, disposed/pending beyond the mandated 90- day inquiry period along with reasons recorded for delay;

(c) the number of instances where annual compliance reports under the Act were not submitted by Ministries/attached offices;

(d) the number of grievances received regarding improper constitution, conflict of interest/non-functioning of the said Committees, particularly relating to offices in Uttar Pradesh; and

(e) the disciplinary/penal action taken against non-compliant authorities under Section 26 of the said Act? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (e): ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’ (PoSH Act) mandates the Appropriate Government to monitor the implementation of the Act and maintain data on number of cases filed and disposed of under the Act.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), launched the Sexual Harassment Electronic Box (SHe-Box) Portal (https://shebox.wcd.gov.in/), as a digital governance initiative on August 29, 2024 for effective implementation of the PoSH Act. As on 25.03.2026, details of 2,223 Internal Committees (ICs) of Central Government offices, which includes Ministries, Departments and their attached offices, have been updated on the Portal.

SHe-Box Portal is only an IT aid to provide a centralized online system to facilitate dissemination of information about the Local Committees (LCs) constituted in districts and ICs constituted at workplaces with more than 10 employees, so that any aggrieved woman may file complaint in a secure and hassle-free manner and track its progress. However, as mandatedunder the PoSH Act, the Appropriate Governments are responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Act. As on 25.03.2026, a total of 334 complaints have been received since the launch of the Portal. Out of these, 128 complaints have been disposed of, while 152 complaints remain pending beyond 90 days.

To ensure accountability and statutory compliance under the Act, the Portal provides an option for ICs to upload their Annual Reports and confirm submission to the District Officers concerned as mandated under the Act. As on 25.03.2026, a total of 117 Annual Reports have been uploaded on the Portal by Central Government which includes Ministries, Departments and their attached offices.

The Portal serves as a single-window access platform for every woman, irrespective of her employment status (organised or unorganised sector, private or public), to register complaints related to sexual harassment of women at the workplace. The responsibility of the implementation of the Act at District and State levels rests with the Appropriate Government to monitor the implementation of the Act and maintain data on the number of cases filed and disposed of in respect of all cases of sexual harassment of women at workplace, which are established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the State.

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