Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that while government efforts have helped reduce crimes against women in the state, it is still worrying that such incidents continue to happen in a progressive society like Kerala.

Speaking at the International Women's Day celebrations organised by the Kerala Women's Commission (KWC), Vijayan emphasised the need for everyone to work together to eliminate crimes against women completely. He also mentioned that even though the southern state has a history of empowering women, many still lack the confidence to step into public spaces. "As a result, they are unable to make use of the various opportunities that are available to them nowadays. This needs to change," the CM said.

He stated that over the past 30 years, the KWC has made significant progress in empowering women in society and expressed confidence that its efforts will continue to have a positive impact in the future. The Chief Minister said that Kerala was the first state in India to implement gender budgeting and the United Nations praised the state for this achievement.

He also mentioned that the government aims to allocate 25% of the project budget to initiatives that empower women. Kerala has been praised for leading the way in initiatives like gender budgeting, which has even earned recognition from the United Nations. Chief Minister Vijayan reaffirmed the state's dedication to empowering women, announcing that 25% of the project budget will be set aside for such efforts to bring meaningful change to society.