As the holy season of Navratri approaches, Maharashtra's Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has introduced a new initiative called ‘Har Ghar Durga’ (A Durga in Every Home). This program will offer free self-defense training to young women enrolled in government-run industrial training institutes (ITIs) in order to empower them.

According to a report by News 18, Lodha said, “As we prepare to celebrate Navratri, a festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, the symbol of power and the destroyer of evil, we want to ensure that every household in our society has a strong and empowered Durga who can fight against the wrongdoers. This is the spirit behind our ‘Har Ghar Durga’ campaign”. The training will be continuous, with two to three sessions held each week throughout the year, in contrast to short-term programs. Lodha emphasised that students in government institutions were not the only ones benefiting from this program. “Any woman who wishes to learn self-defence is welcome to participate,” he added.

Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla will preside over the official "Har Ghar Durga" launch ceremony on September 30 at the Government Industrial Institute in Kurla. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be present, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis. Actress Ada Sharma will also mark her presence in the ceremony.  “We have appointed expert instructors to conduct these self-defense classes. The idea is to make self-defense as regular and integral as any other subject taught in these institutions,” Lodha mentioned. He continued by saying this initiative was the result of his vision to give women the tools they need to feel empowered and capable of protecting themselves.

Lodha has also urged festival committees to include self-defense workshops in their events in keeping with the Navratri spirit. “This is a festival dedicated to the power and strength of women. It’s only fitting that we celebrate it by empowering our women in a tangible way. We are ready to provide trained instructors to any committee in Mumbai or Thane that wants to hold such workshops during the festivities,” he said.

Additionally, the renaming of 14 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) located throughout Maharashtra was recently approved by the state cabinet. Maharana Pratap Government Industrial Institute will be the new name of the Government Industrial Institute in Kurla. At the event, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also officially open the state-of-the-art Digital Excellence Centre at the Swami Vivekananda International Skill Development Institute, which was established in partnership with HP.