New Delhi, May 23 (PTI): The Delhi cabinet today made it mandatory to include the mother’s name in all documents and certificates issued by the government of the National Capital Territory.

Henceforth, voters identity cards, driving licence, ration cards, school certificates, birth and death certificates, disability certificates, etc. would include the mother’s name alongside that of the father’s.

“Particulars of both father and mother in the documents would help in establishing the identity of the person concerned in a more specific manner,” chief minister Sheila Dikshit told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Dikshit described the move as a step towards empowerment of women.

The cabinet also approved putting women’s empowerment programmes on the fast track to give top priority to the schemes, including those under its Stree Shakti campaign.

The target group is eight lakh women in four selected areas of Delhi in addition to girls between six and 16, for whom the stress is on education, and those between 12-18, who would be trained in survival skills.

The programme would also focus on children till the age of six under the Integrated Child Development Scheme.

Under the programme, every woman would be issued a Stree Shakti card.

An organisational structure has also been approved, which would include a steering committee chaired by the chief minister, an inter- sectoral empowered programme committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary, a directorate and a zonal programme management unit.

The Delhi government also cleared a proposal for encouraging partnership with non-government organisations in the management of institutions run by the department of social welfare. In all, 45 institutions relating to children, women, beggars, handicapped and the elderly people are being run by the department.