- Why in news
- On 27 March 2026, the Women and Child Development Ministry told Lok Sabha how the PoSH Act, 2013 protects women at work, alongside Mission Shakti initiatives.
- What it is
- The PoSH Act, 2013 is the central law against sexual harassment of women at work. It requires employers to set up complaint committees and sets out a process for inquiry and redressal. It built on the Vishaka guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in 1997.
- Coverage
- The Act covers all women, whatever their age, employment status or type of work, in public or private and organised or unorganised sectors.
- Internal Committee
- Every employer must set up an Internal Committee where the workplace has more than ten employees.
- Local Committee
- The appropriate government sets up a Local Committee in every district. It hears complaints from small establishments or complaints against the employer.
- SHe-Box
- The SHe-Box portal is a central platform to file and track workplace sexual harassment complaints under the Act.
- Origin
- The Act followed the Supreme Court's 1997 Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan judgment, which issued guidelines on workplace harassment.
- Launches on 14 Feb 2026
- Four items were launched: SHe-Box logo, PoSH Voluntary Compliance Checklist, SHe-Box integration with Mission Shakti App, and Karmayogi Bharat PoSH training link.
- Reach of SHe-Box
- The Minister said over 1.48 lakh institutions are registered on the portal and more than 60,000 Internal Committees function actively.
- Informal sector gap
- The Secretary noted women's labour force participation at 42 per cent and over 80 per cent of women in the informal sector, so coverage must widen.
- Committee structure
- The Act requires an Internal Committee at workplaces with 10 or more employees and a Local Committee in each district for other cases such as the informal sector.
- Penalty
- A first violation attracts a fine of Rs 50,000. Repeat violations attract double the fine and possible licence cancellation or non-renewal.
- Nodal ministry and SHe-Box
- The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal ministry. It launched the SHe-Box portal on 29 August 2024 as a single-window complaint platform.
Don’t confuse with Internal Committee vs Local Committee: The Internal Committee is set up by the employer. The Local Committee is set up by the district-level appropriate government for small units or complaints against the employer.
Don’t confuse with PoSH Act vs Mission Shakti: PoSH is a law on workplace harassment. Mission Shakti is a Ministry scheme for women's safety and empowerment, including One Stop Centres and helplines.
Don’t confuse with Vishaka guidelines vs PoSH Act: Vishaka (1997) was judicial guidance. The PoSH Act (2013) is a statute.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- Gives statutory protection to women in both organised and unorganised work, going beyond the court-made Vishaka guidelines.
- Makes employers accountable for a safe workplace and for awareness programmes.
- A statutory complaint route and a digital portal make redressal more accessible and traceable.
- Safe workplaces support women's labour force participation and economic empowerment.
- Gives statutory backing to the rights to equality, dignity and practising a profession under Articles 14, 15, 19(1)(g) and 21.
- Covers women in all sectors, including domestic workers and the unorganised sector, which supports women's workforce participation.
Problems
- Many small and unorganised workplaces have no committee, and awareness of the Act is low.
- Fear of retaliation and stigma discourage women from filing complaints.
- Over 80 per cent of women work in the informal sector, where committees and awareness are weak.
- Many workplaces have not set up committees or registered, so compliance remains uneven.
- Many workplaces have not constituted ICs, and Local Committees are not set up in every district, which led to Supreme Court directions.
- Underreporting and fear of retaliation, and the lack of national data before SHe-Box, weaken monitoring.
Way forward
- Ensure Internal and Local Committees exist and function, with regular monitoring and public data on cases.
- Train committee members and spread awareness, using the SHe-Box portal for tracking complaints.
- Strengthen Local Committees and awareness at district level, especially for informal workers.
- Use SHe-Box registration, training and compliance checklists to monitor and enforce committee formation.
- Ensure ICs and LCs are constituted everywhere, with regular training of members and awareness drives.
- Use SHe-Box data for monitoring, with nodal officers keeping committee details and annual reports updated.
Put in your answer
SHe-Box portal: A central platform to file and track workplace harassment complaints under the PoSH Act.
Vishaka judgment, 1997: The Supreme Court's guidelines on workplace sexual harassment that preceded the 2013 Act.
Vishaka guidelines, 1997: The Supreme Court laid down guidelines on workplace sexual harassment, which the 2013 Act later codified.
SHe-Box scale: Over 1.5 lakh workplaces onboarded and Local Committees active in every district, according to the Secretary.
Companies Act disclosure: Constitution of the IC is now a mandatory disclosure under the Companies Act, 2013.
- 2019Mains GS4 · Q9Ethical handling of a complaint of workplace sexual harassment by a top executive.
- 2013Mains GS4 · Q14Promoting a star performer despite reports of sexually harassing female colleagues.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: A lasting law on the syllabus with Internal and Local Committee provisions; the release is a routine reply, so no fresh question is likely.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.