Women Empowerment Programmes

in India

Dr. R.V. Gangshetty

Lecturer
Dept. of Economics
Karnataka State Women’s University
Bijapur

E-mail: rvg_shetty@rediffmail.com
 Index
 Introduction
 Definition of Women's Empowerment
 Role of women in economic
development
 Need for Women Empowerment
 Women Empowerment Programmes
 Conclusion
 I. Introduction

Women can play a decisive role in the

economic development of a country. Her
contribution to economic development is
great and is both in the visible and invisible
form. If she is transformed from being
primarily a vehicle of human reproduction,
producing biological goods, to a vehicle of
social, cultural and economic good, she
can certainly create wonders.
II. Definition of Women's Empowerment

The Oxford American Dictionary

defines "empowerment" as "to make
(someone) stronger and more
confident, esp. in controlling their life
and claiming their rights."

It means to give women power and help

them face the challenges of being a
woman in society.
 III. Role of Women in Economic
Development

 Chief architect of family

 The first teacher
 Supply of labour power
 Main role in agricultural development
 Contribution to Industrial labour force are
women
 Service sector development
• Socio-cultural development
• Efficient administration
• Progress of handicrafts
• Political Development
• Supply of Skill and Intelligence
• Creation of civilized society
• Improvement in production efficiency
• Chief architect of family: She works in
different capacities in the family like mother,
guide, mentor, counselor, friend, and
philosopher. Creation of happy homes is her
unique contribution.
• The first teacher: Mother is the first teacher.
She teaches her children the basic elements of
life.
• Supply of labour power: Women supply
necessary labour power for the production of
goods and services.
• Main role in agricultural development: Women
till the field, bring water at irrigation, cook the
meals and do all sorts of work. They lend
helping hand during the busy
agricultural season.
• Contribution to Industrial labour force are
women: labour force have achieved
tremendous industrial development. Nowadays
women are active in various types of industrial
activities.
• Service sector development: service sector like
health, education, trade, banking, insurance,
tourism, telecommunications, transport,
research and development etc.,
• Socio-cultural development: In the socio-cultural
development of a country, a crucial
central position is assigned to women folk. They
are the real ambassadors of art and culture.
• Efficient administration:women generally are
more efficient and less corrupt than men. Their
devotion of work is certainly unquestionable.
• Progress of handicrafts: skill, intelligence,
creativity and artful mind will certainly be helpful
for the development of handicraft industry.
• Political Development: Women can be
involved well in the policy and decision making
process. local bodies like village panchayats,
municipalities, city corporations and district
bodies and also in various other bodies like co-
operative institutions, milk societies, self help
groups etc.
• Supply of Skill and Intelligence: Women can also
supply necessary skill and intelligence for economic
development. She can work as a labourer
manager, entrepreneur and as industrialist.
• Creation of civilized society: Women can play a
role in the creation of a civilized society. Women
not only perform the tasks well but they lend grace
as well. They are capable of moulding the very
character of the society.
• Improvement in production efficiency: Women
can contribute a lot to economic development by
improving production efficiency of a country.
 IV. Need for Women Empowerment

• Our constitution, in its Fundamental Rights, has

provisions for equality, social justice and
protection of women. These goals are yet to be
realized. Women continue to be discriminated,
exploited and exposed to inequalities at various
levels.
• By empowerment women would be able to
develop self – esteem and confidence, realize
their potential and enhance their collective
bargaining power.
• Women empowerment can be viewed as a
contribution of several inter- related and
mutually reinforcing competent.
• Awareness building about women’s
situations, discrimination, rights and
opportunities will act as a step towards
gender equality.
• Capacity building and skill development,

especially the ability to plan, make

decisions, organize, manage and execute
will enable to deal with people and
institutions in the course of business.
6. Participation and greater control and
decision making power in the home,
community and society will develop
leadership qualities.
7. Action is needed at all levels to bring
about greater quality between men and
women.
 V. Women Empowerment Programmes
 Swayamsidha
 Swa-Shakti Project
 Support to Training and employment
Programme for Women (STEP)
 Swalamban
 Creches/ Day care Centers for the
Children of working and Ailing Mothers
 Hostels for working women
 Swadhar
 Rashtriya Mahila kosh (RMK)
 Women Empowerment Programmes
Introduction
As per the 2001 census, women constituted about
48 per cent of the total population of the country.
Women suffer many disadvantages compared to
men. Education, Labour Larticipation rate and
Earnings.
The Government has been implementing various
schemes for the socio-economic advancement
National Policy for Empowerment of Women
( 2001) ensuring women their rightful place in
society by empowering them as agents of
socio - economic change. Now, it is an important
approach adopted for development of women
under Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12).
 The major strategies of women
empowerment is

Economic empowerment and Gender justice.

Two important schemes in the areas of education

i.e., Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and
Mahila Samakhya.
 Policy and Programmes
1. Swayamsidha:
It is an integrated project for the development
and empowerment of women through Self Help
Groups (SHGs) with emphasis on covering
service, developing access to micro-
enterprises. allotted so far and about 10 lakh
women have taken membership.
2. Swa-Shakti Project:
Earlier known as the Rural Women’s
Development and Empowerment Project, was
sanctioned in October 1998 as centrally
sponsored scheme to be implemented in
the states of Bihar. Chattisgarh, Gujarat,
Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.
3. Support to Training and employment
Programme for Women (STEP):
The programme seeks to provide updated
skills and new knowledge to poor assetless
women in eight traditional sectors of
employment, agriculture, animal husbandry,
dairying, fisheries, handlooms, handcrafts,
Khadi and Village industry and sericulture.
Eleven projects were sanctioned during
minimum period of three years. Eleven
projects were sanctioned during 2003-2004,
which is estimated to benefit 16,350
women.
4. Swalamban:
The objective of this scheme is

To provide training and skills to women to

facilitate them to obtain employment or self
employment on a sustainable basis training like
computer programming , medical transcription,
electronic assembling, consumer electronics
repair, radio and television repairs, garment
making, handloom weaving, handicrafts,
secretarial practice, community health work
and embroidery. During 2003-04, 463 proposals
were approved, benefiting 71,240 women.
 5. Creches/ Day care Centers for the Children
of working and Ailing Mothers:
Scheme aims to provide day care services to
children (0-5 years) of parents whose income
does not exceed Rs.1,800 per month.
6. Hostels for working women:
The scheme of assistance for construction
and expansion of hostel buildings for working
women, with day care centers, is being
implemented since 1972. The scheme
envisages provisions for safe and affordable
accommodation to working women ( single
working women, Women working at places
away from their hometowns, working but
husband out of town, etc.).
7.Swadhar:
This scheme was launched in 2001-2002 as a central
sector scheme for providing holistic and integrated
services to women in difficult circumstances .
8. Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK):
Also known as the National Credit Fund for Women
was set up as a registered society under the Societies
Registration Act, 1860 on March 30, 1993.
Credit support or micro-finance to poor women to
start income generating activities such as in
 Dairy
 Agriculture
 Shop-keeping
 Vending and
 Handicrafts.
In 2003-04, an amount of Rs.25 crore was
sanctioned through RMK benefiting about 32,765
women.
 VI. Conclusion

Women plays important role in the socio-economic

development of country, but since generation she has
been neglected a lot. So in 21st century there is a
need for the women empowerment to attain highest
level of socio-economic growth. In this direction
several policies and programmes have been
introduced by the Government of India. So these
programmes play important role in the women
upliftment. But, the effective implementation part has
to be taken care of to make women more independent.
Thank You