The News Minute | August 10, 2014 | 10.17 am ISTThe Karnataka government has asked all district and village level officials to ensure that special gram sabhas are conducted exclusively for women.The move comes as a bid to tackle crimes against women and girls in the state, according to a Deccan Herald report. The government had first proposed this during the budget session for the year 2014-15, and has now written to the district level officials to ensure that these are held.A gram sabha is usually held twice a year under the Karnataka Panchayati Raj Act, in which all villagers are free to participate, but the agenda for a special women’s sabha would discuss nutrition, health, legal awareness, prevtion of domestic violence, women empowerment, social empowerment, prosion of bais amenities, political empowerment and improving the educational status of women.The state government has also asked panchayat officials to identify causes for problems that women and girls face, and find ways to rectify them.