Skip to content

Role of Government for women development to women-led development.

Topic- General Studies Paper-1; Social Enpowerment, Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States

Topic- General Studies Paper-1;
Topic- General Studies Paper-1;

Social Enpowerment, Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
Social Enpowerment, Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States

  • Women make up nearly half of India’s population. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. The modern woman is no longer confined to the four walls of the house. Women are now realizing their worth in every way and demanding gender equality and justice both at home and in the workplace. They have broken the glass barrier in almost every field, be it technology, space science, sports or the armed force. Almost every fifth women is an entrepreneur- both in urban and rural India. This change is positive and it is happening at a pace faster than ever before.
  • The dream of New India was where women were empowered, strong and an equal partner in the nation’s overall development.
  • Women need a safe and enabling environment which encourages their empowerment.
  • The recent developments in the area of women empowerment are very encouraging. Even India’s successful launch of the Mangalyaan and the record breaking 104 Nano satellites launched into orbit onboard a single rocket had a team of women scientists behind them. These women are role models for a country, which now echoes with the slogan of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’
  • India has been successful in achieving gender parity in school education. Even in technical and professional education the representation of women is significantly increasing.
  • The literacy rate of women has increased from 9% in 1951 to 65% in 2011.This, in itself is a huge turnaround factor.
  • In the workplace today, every fourth worker in India is a woman. With their increasing participation in a variety of fields, women’s bargaining power in both private and public life is steadily increasing.
  • In Politics also we see the numbers are even more encouraging. Elected women representatives now make up about 46% of our Panchayat members.
  • On the health front we can see that the average life expectancy of women having risen from 31.7 years in 1950-51 to about 70 years in 2016. Institutional births have risen to an all time high. The maternal mortality rate has dropped by half in the decade 2001-03 and 2011-13.
  • Women’s financial inclusion has also increased tremendously especially in the last few years.
  • Government has taken a number of measures to ensure its female citizens have equal opportunities. A number of legislations have been passed and schemes implemented to encourage women in education and the formal workforce.
  • We have initiated the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Programme that addresses the complex mindsets of people. If people are not made to change the way they think about girls and women, we are unlikely to see much long-lasting success in other initiatives for empowerment.
  • The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana launched in 2015 under which small affordable deposits are made in the bank accounts of girls, with the benefit of higher rate of interest, and the amount can be withdrawn by a girl on reaching 18 years of age, giving her a fund for higher education.
  • Jan Dhan Yojana has enabled banking services for the unbanked. 16.42 crore women’s accounts have been opened under Jan Dhan.
  • Under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, our government has provided credit to small entrepreneurs without the need of a collateral and 75% of these loans have been given to women
  • Over 47 lakh Self Help Groups have been promoted under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). There is a 37% jump in loan amounts granted to women SHG’s in last financial year.
  • Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, a large number of women candidates have taken up Industry relevant skill training.
  • The Maternity Benefit Act has been amended to extend the period of mandatory paid maternity leave for working women to 26 weeks.This empowers working women as they need not fear loss of salary or job due to child birth.
  • Having women in senior positions is a positive step in recognizing the merit of deserving women. The representation of women in Boards of  Companies and at seniour positions is thus being encouraged in all public and private companies.
  • Workplaces need to be made conducive to women employees. For this we have the Sexual Harrassment of  Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.This provides a safe and secure environment to women at the work place. There is an online complaint system for cases of sexual harassment at workplace.
  • Within their homes too, women contribute a huge amount of work which is unpaid and often unrecognized. To empower women and protect their health, the Ujjawala Scheme has been introduced, which provides free LPG cylinders to women from BPL families to replace unclean cooking fuels.
  • The Nirbhaya Fund is also being used to roll out comprehensive plans to make 8 major cities in the country safer for women and also improve our forensic analysis abilities in cases of sexual assault.
  • It is the focus of Government now to ensure that no woman is left behind in the march towards empowerment. The way lies in the conviction that we must have women-led development rather than just women’s development. This sentiment forms the basis of our government’s strategy.
  • Women need a safe and enabling environment which encourages their empowerment. As India looks forward to reaping benefits from the demographic dividend, the role of enpowered women becomes all the more important  who would in turn help in contributing to nation- building.
  • Women make up nearly half of India’s population. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. The modern woman is no longer confined to the four walls of the house. Women are now realizing their worth in every way and demanding gender equality and justice both at home and in the workplace. They have broken the glass barrier in almost every field, be it technology, space science, sports or the armed force. Almost every fifth women is an entrepreneur- both in urban and rural India. This change is positive and it is happening at a pace faster than ever before.

    • Almost
    Almost
    every fifth women is an entrepreneur- both in urban and rural India
    every fifth women is an entrepreneur- both in urban and rural India

  • The dream of New India was where women were empowered, strong and an equal partner in the nation’s overall development.

    • equal partner in the nation’s overall development
    equal partner in the nation’s overall development

  • Women need a safe and enabling environment which encourages their empowerment.

    • visit the site
    safe and enabling environment
    safe and enabling environment

  • The recent developments in the area of women empowerment are very encouraging. Even India’s successful launch of the Mangalyaan and the record breaking 104 Nano satellites launched into orbit onboard a single rocket had a team of women scientists behind them. These women are role models for a country, which now echoes with the slogan of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’

    • ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’
    ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’

  • India has been successful in achieving gender parity in school education. Even in technical and professional education the representation of women is significantly increasing.

    • gender parity
    gender parity

  • The literacy rate of women has increased from 9% in 1951 to 65% in 2011.This, in itself is a huge turnaround factor.
  • In the workplace today, every fourth worker in India is a woman. With their increasing participation in a variety of fields, women’s bargaining power in both private and public life is steadily increasing.

    • every fourth worker in India is a woman
    every fourth worker in India is a woman

  • In Politics also we see the numbers are even more encouraging. Elected women representatives now make up about 46% of our Panchayat members.
  • On the health front we can see that the average life expectancy of women having risen from 31.7 years in 1950-51 to about 70 years in 2016. Institutional births have risen to an all time high. The maternal mortality rate has dropped by half in the decade 2001-03 and 2011-13.
  • Women’s financial inclusion has also increased tremendously especially in the last few years.
  • Government has taken a number of measures to ensure its female citizens have equal opportunities. A number of legislations have been passed and schemes implemented to encourage women in education and the formal workforce.
  • We have initiated the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Programme that addresses the complex mindsets of people. If people are not made to change the way they think about girls and women, we are unlikely to see much long-lasting success in other initiatives for empowerment.

    • ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’
    ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’

  • The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana launched in 2015 under which small affordable deposits are made in the bank accounts of girls, with the benefit of higher rate of interest, and the amount can be withdrawn by a girl on reaching 18 years of age, giving her a fund for higher education.

    • Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
    Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

  • Jan Dhan Yojana has enabled banking services for the unbanked. 16.42 crore women’s accounts have been opened under Jan Dhan.

    • Jan Dhan Yojana
    Jan Dhan Yojana

  • Under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, our government has provided credit to small entrepreneurs without the need of a collateral and 75% of these loans have been given to women

    • Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana
    Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana

  • Over 47 lakh Self Help Groups have been promoted under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). There is a 37% jump in loan amounts granted to women SHG’s in last financial year.
  • Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, a large number of women candidates have taken up Industry relevant skill training.

    • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
    Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

  • The Maternity Benefit Act has been amended to extend the period of mandatory paid maternity leave for working women to 26 weeks.This empowers working women as they need not fear loss of salary or job due to child birth.

    • Maternity Benefit Act
    Maternity Benefit Act

  • Having women in senior positions is a positive step in recognizing the merit of deserving women. The representation of women in Boards of  Companies and at seniour positions is thus being encouraged in all public and private companies.
  • Workplaces need to be made conducive to women employees. For this we have the Sexual Harrassment of  Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.This provides a safe and secure environment to women at the work place. There is an online complaint system for cases of sexual harassment at workplace.

    • Sexual Harrassment of  Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
    Sexual Harrassment of  Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013

  • Within their homes too, women contribute a huge amount of work which is unpaid and often unrecognized. To empower women and protect their health, the Ujjawala Scheme has been introduced, which provides free LPG cylinders to women from BPL families to replace unclean cooking fuels.

    • Ujjawala Scheme
    Ujjawala Scheme

  • The Nirbhaya Fund is also being used to roll out comprehensive plans to make 8 major cities in the country safer for women and also improve our forensic analysis abilities in cases of sexual assault.

    • Nirbhaya Fund
    Nirbhaya Fund

  • It is the focus of Government now to ensure that no woman is left behind in the march towards empowerment. The way lies in the conviction that we must have women-led development rather than just women’s development. This sentiment forms the basis of our government’s strategy.
  • Women need a safe and enabling environment which encourages their empowerment. As India looks forward to reaping benefits from the demographic dividend, the role of enpowered women becomes all the more important  who would in turn help in contributing to nation- building.
    • Tags:

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    What demotivates aspirants is the idea that at least 4-5 attempts are a must to qualify UPSC CSE EXAMS. This is absolutely incorrect. It’s true that this exam demands time to prepare but that’s not more than 2 to 3 years. It’s a learning process where you will make multiple mistakes and so, would need time to rectify them too. Most aspirants do not realise this fact and waste their attempts with inadequate preparation, which in turn, demotivates them. So, you need a mentor to guide you in this journey and tell you WHEN TO START and HOW TO START your preparation. Also before knowing what to study an aspirant has to first know WHAT NOT TO STUDY in this era of overflooded information around us. This is where the role of a Mentor becomes all the more important so that you do not waste your crucial time reading unnecessary content.
    Aspirants often have a misconception that at least 13-14 hours a day must be given to this exam. Again, this is not true. UPSC preparation is journey of not only gathering knowledge, but also of overall character and personality development. So, if you utilise 13-14 hrs a day only in studying, you won’t get time to interact with the outside world and evolve properly and this wouldn’t help in the training process. Diligent engagement of 5-6 hrs a day would be enough for the preparation and that’s why KAVISH IAS suggests its students to start planning from their graduation only, as regular practice will definitely help you reach your goal.
    Many Institutes recommend starting UPSC preparation from 6th standard NCERT books and go through graduation level textbooks, which is not true. Also, the aspirant is prescribed to go through the entire newspaper every day. Reading so much of hefty content on a daily basis is a tedious and boring job to do. Such misconceptions only waste the aspirant’s valuable time and money. Each individual is different and accordingly he/she should be suggested where to start from. Coming to current affairs, news reading and its analysis is a skill that needs to be taught in the beginning, and with time the aspirant can himself decide what to read and how to read. Analysing and jotting down the essentials becomes easy for the student after a few months.
    Another myth that students fear is that ‘UPSC IS DIFFICULT AND ONLY IIT OR TOP COLLEGE GRADUATES CAN CRACK IT ’. UPSC is open for graduates from every stream and doesn’t prefer anyone based on his/her background. So if you are willing to dedicate your time in this preparation, you can surely succeed in this exam with a good rank.