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1 GENDER & DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE TO PRACTICE STATE INSTITUTE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT & PANCHAYATI RAJ Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department Govt.

of Odisha 2 Published by Director STATE INSTITUTE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT & PANCHAYATI RAJ PR & DW Department, Govt.
of Odisha Unit - 8, Gopabandhu Nagar, Bhubaneswar - 751012 Phone : 0674 - 2562645, 2562453 Email : sirdodisha@nic.in, sirdorissa@gmail.com Website : sirdodisha.nic.in Edited by Manas Ranjan Debata Director, SIRD & PR Coordinated & Compiled by Amita Kumari Patra Asst.
Director, SIRD & PR 1st Edition 2018 © : Director, SIRD & PR Printed at PRINTECH OFFSET Bhubaneswar 3 Shri Deoranjan Kumar Singh, IAS Principal Secretary to Govt PR & DW Department Govt of Odisha MESSAGE It gives me immense pleasure to know that SIRD & PR, an apex Training Institute on capacity building and training for elected representatives and functionaries under PR & DW Department, Govt of Odisha is coming up with a publication titled “Gender and Development; Perspective to Practice” on issues encompassing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
It is also a matter of academic accomplishment that many authoritative and reputed writers on ‘Gender and Developmental topics’ have contributed to enrich this publication.

The publication undoubtedly will broaden the horizon of new age thinking and open the discourse to quite a large number of issues related to the subject.
In an effort to further strengthen the women leadership, SIRD&PR has established a “Gender Equity and Child Development Cell” with a commitment to undertake action research for gender knowledge enhancement.

This publication is an effort towards presenting the major dimensions of gender empowerment and different strategies as in practice across the country.
I am sanguine that the book will certainly help the readers in understanding the larger perspectives of gender equality and would bring positive socio – economic change.

I am thankful to the sincere efforts of the contributors as well as the editorial members.

I wish SIRD&PR to march towards excellence in carrying forward such endeavours in future.

(Deoranjan Kumar Singh) 4 PREFACE Gender equity and social justice are the pre-requisites for good governance.
The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles of State Policy.

Discrimination against women has been the universal phenomenon in any society.

Gender discrimination has been identified as one of the pervasive forms of institutional deprivation.

Social discrimination as well as political exclusion had led to sociological seclusion of the women.
Ensuring gender parity has become a major challenge for the modern world.

In recent years, the Government has undertaken several initiatives to reduce the vulnerability and secure the entitlements of marginalized groups including women.

Government of Odisha has formulated a policy “Odisha State Policy for Girls and Women, 2014” for the empowerment of girls and women and to address all gender issues.
Adequate initiative has been taken in social sectors to assimilate them into the mainstream of socio-economic life.

Odisha Livelihoods Mission has also contributed in providing sustainable livelihood to the women of the State.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are intrinsically linked to the lives of women and girls.
In this context, UN Women and the Govt of Norway through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi signed an agreement of cooperation to implement a project entitled “From Opportunities to Capacities: A Multi Sector Approach to Enhancing Gender Responsive 5 Governance.” It aims to strengthen the capacities of governance institutions to provide opportunities created for Gender Equality & Women Empowerment through legislation, policies and programmes.
Under this project, UN Women signed an MoU with Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Deptt, Govt of Odisha and SIRD&PR on 23rd June 2017 along with four other States namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Rajasthan.

SIRD&PR, Bhubaneswar organised a two days National Level Symposium on 27th – 28th June 2018 as a commitment of the project activity on Gender Equality at Grassroots Governance.
The major objectives of the National Symposium is to address various thematic areas related to gender in governance.

These include:-    Understanding Gender Perspective in Grassroots Governance Encouraging Women Leadership Sustainable Livelihoods & Gram Panchayat  Water Sanitation, Nutrition and Gram Panchayat  Gender Equality & Legal Provisions.
Elected PRI representatives of four States, faculties of different SIRDs and administrators of partner States of UN Women, representatives from NIRD&PR, representatives from UN Women, senior officers of Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Govt.

of Odisha and intellectuals from different fields participated in the programme.

The Symposium was inaugurated by the Former Secretary, MoPR, Govt of India and Chief Secretary of Kerala, Shri S. M Vijayanand on 27th June 2018.
Padmashree Dr. Pratibha Ray, Former Professor and Eminent Writer of Odisha attended the 6 programme as the Chief Speaker.

In the valedictory ceremony, Shri Deoranjan Kumar Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Govt of Odisha and Smt Nistha Satyam, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women, India attended as the Revered Guests.

Gender discrimination is an insuperable challenge to the socio-economic progress.
Government has taken laudable initiative in launching various programmes for the welfare and empowerment of women.

Several deliberations were made to address the gender inequality during different sessions of the Symposium.

The major outcomes of the deliberations are delineated below:-    A strong convergence between Panchayati Raj Institutions and Institutions of Poor i.e Federation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) are mutually benefited both for PRIs as well as for the rural women.
Gram Sabha can be used as a forum for dissemination of information.

Simultaneously, SHG can act as an agency for effective delivery of basic services.

There is a need of federating the elected women representatives at appropriate levels for enhancing their collective power.

An effective networking of elected women representatives is essential to stimulate their latent qualities and intrinsic potentialities.

There should be mandatory Mahila Sabha before Gram Sabha.
It will help to mobilize large number of women and provide enough scope to discuss various issues affecting the women.

States like Karnataka and Rajasthan have already amended their Panchayat Acts accordingly.

7          Separate resource allocation for planning on gender component is essential.

Minimum 30 percent of resource should be earmarked for gender plan.

There should be minimum 50 percent attendance of the women in Gram Sabha for quorum.
Equal access of men and women to the information, services, infrastructure and resources should be ensured to bring gender equity.

Pro gender infrastructures such as Anganwadi Centre with Mamata room and provision for lactating mothers, baby feeding room, separate toilet for girls in schools, separate toilets for women in institutions / offices should be taken up for ensuring dignity of women.
A special engendered module of training focusing the problems and needs of elected women representatives should be developed by State Institute for Rural Development or any other training agency.

There is a need for capacity building of the male members for change in their mind set and socialization process.

To set up a “Help Desk” at SIRD&PR to provide support to elected women representatives.
SIRDs should document the inspiring stories of women leaders which can motivate others and also make provision for recognizing outstanding contributions through laurels and financial rewards to the elected women representatives.

Community Resource Persons developed under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) can be engaged as the precursor of change.

They will facilitate the women in 8   the rural area to work in a group and become economically self reliant.
PRI involvement will increase community understanding of issues of accountability for quality and reliability of health care services in Gram Panchayat.

There are so many legal provisions adopted by Government but due to lack of awareness or weak implementation, the marginal and victimized persons are not getting justice.

So multi stakeholder approach should be adopted for inculcating awareness.
In order to accomplish the cherished objective, an MoU was signed between SIRD&PR, Govt of Odisha, represented by the Director, SIRD&PR, and UN Women, India, represented by Smt Nistha Satyam, Deputy Country Representative in the presence of the Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Govt.

of Odisha on 28th June, 2018 for extension of another two years for the collaborative project to promote Gender Responsive Governance.
In order to strengthen the policy advocacy mandate relating to women empowerment in rural governance and development, a “Gender Equity & Child Development Cell” has been commissioned in SIRD&PR.

The functions of the cell will be continuous training and capacity building of elected women representatives, members of women Self Help Groups and functionaries on the importance and analysis of gender development, empowerment of women, their rights, entitlements and issues of children.
Two other Cells viz; “Resource Cell of DAY-NRLM” – a flagship self employment programme of MoRD, Govt.

of India and “Research Cell of SIRD&PR” are also functioning to come up with analytical insight, suggestions and policy perspectives on various 9 dimensions for gender mainstreaming in governance and livelihood through flagship programmes of PR&DW Department, Government of Odisha.
In retrospect, the challenges of deprivation, disadvantages and discrimination that impede the socio – economic prospect of the women should be dealt with unflinching determination to bring forth resurrection for resurgence of a gender friendly society based on the ethos of social solidarity and economic prosperity.

Keeping this as backdrop, we solicited contributions on gender issues from eminent authors across the State as well as from National level.
The contributions have been categorized under seven broad heads namely:- Gender and Women Empowerment – A conceptual framework; Gender and Governance; Discrimination and Violence against Women; Health, Nutrition and Education; Sustainable Livelihood for Women; Land Rights and Natural Resource Management and Convergence of Flagship Programmes.

The present volume is an attempt to put scholarly articles together on the above dimensions of gender and women empowerment.
This book will be useful for researchers, academics and students who are working on Gender Development.

Manas Ranjan Debata  10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful to the contributors who readily accepted our request and sent their papers for inclusion in this volume within a short span of time.

I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude and respect to the Esteemed Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Govt.
of Odisha, Shri Deoranjan Kumar Singh who infused a new current of determination in us by means of his remarkabe sense of realism and pragmatism to bring out this publication.

I acknowledge the endeavour and contribution of my colleagues Shri Saroj Kumar Dash, Joint Director, Smt.

Amita Kumari Patra, Asst.

Director, Shri Krushna Mohan Mishra, State Consultant (supported by UNICEF) and Dr. Girish Prasad Swain, Consultant, Capacity Building (RGSA) for completion of this book.
I also extend sincere thanks to Ms Nistha Satyam, Deputy Country Representative and Ms Rosalin Mohapatra of UN Women for providing an opportunity to organise the National Symposium on Gender and Grassroots Governance which inspired us for publication of this volume.

I specially thank to Shri Prashant Kumar Senapati, Programme Associate, Ms. Manasi Mohanty, Data Entry Operator for designing and layout of the book.
Besides, I offer thanks to all the staff of SIRD&PR for their unflinching support in publication of this book.

Director SIRD & PR 11 GLIMPSES OF THE CHAPTERS In the paper entitled “Institutions of the Poor and the Panchayats”, S.M V ijayananad has highlighted the convergence between Panchayat and federations of SHG.

Citing the experience of Kerala, he concluded that SHGs can function as a strong advocacy agency and vehicles of demand to access public services and resources.
The alliance of Panchayat with SHG will enhance the political and social legitimacy.

It will help the Panchayat to strengthen the Gram Sabha and specifically benefit the elected women representatives.

Navaneeta Rath & Amita Kumari Patra in their paper titled “Gender Divide to Gender Development: A Reflection on the Discourses and the Dilemmas” attempt to analyze the concept of Gender development.

It is a framework having its origin in the mid of 20th century.
The critical thinking by the feminist, gender theorist and gender activist led to the idea of mainstreaming of women in the development process and articulating development programmes yielding for women.

The gender development approach, however, is a dynamic one having different perspectives at different periods of time, starting from welfare approach to empowerment approach.
Irrespective of so many discourses, the paper tries to establish that gender development in India requires tremendous emphasis to achieve its target and encounters dilemmas.

In the paper of Manasi Pradhan entitled “Gender Equality in the era of Globalization – the Indian context”, the role of globalization and modernization on gender inequality has been discussed in the light of contradictory effects on women particularly in the Indian context.
The author focused 12 on the apparent paradox between the women’s positive perception of empowerment and the overall impact of structural adjustment policy on women.

The main impacts of 4 E’s i.e Education, Employment, Economic independence and Empowerment on women’s lives have also been highlighted.
Saroj Kumar Dash, in his paper “Empowering Women: Initiatives and Measures” has analyzed that women in India, through their own unrelenting efforts and with the help of Constitutional and other legal provisions, and above all with the aid of Government’s various welfare and developmental schemes, have been establishing their position which is a prelude to their socio- economic progress.
He also pointed out that women participation in employment in government as well as private sectors, in socio-political activities of the nation and also their presence at the highest decision making bodies have been germinated and will reap rich harvest in their commitment to build up an ideal society.

In her paper, “From Dole to Dignity: The Paradigm Shift in Women’s Empowerment” Kalyani Sarangi has analyzed the present status of women through two parameters of social change, i.e Education and Media.
Discrimination and deprivation of women persist though there are enormous developments in almost all walks of their life.

The paradigm shift in the attitudes of men towards women as well as women to women, the proper balance between the sex ratio, prevention of girl feticide, complete elimination of sexual harassment in work places, upholding the dignity of women as the best companion of men and initiatives in the form of different schemes by the Govt.

open up a new vista for a new society.


In her paper, Sujata Pati, “Gender Responsive Budgeting in Odisha – A Close look” focused that Gender inequality has its adverse impact on development goals which leads to reduction in economic growth.

Gender Budgeting has been recognized as a tool with potential to directly promote gender 13 equality and women’s empowerment through allocation of resources for women oriented programmes and schemes.
This study is an attempt to understand the nature & quantum of fund allocation in various departments by analysing the gender budget statements for the financial years 2015-16 to 2018-19.

It attempts to understand the problems of different departments regarding implementation of the gender budget and identify the gender gaps from the outlay made in annual budgets for various schemes and programs of different departments.
Jayanta Choudhury & Moutoshi Deb in their paper titled “Rethinking Gender Budgeting for combating Violence Against Women in India” have emphasized on the rationale of gender budgeting arises from recognition of the fact that national budgets impact men and women differently through the pattern of resource allocation.

Women, who constitute 48% of India’s population, lag behind men on many social indicators like health, education, economic opportunities, etc.
Violence against women is a worldwide problem as well as in India too.

The statistics shows that the violence against women is increasing now-a-days.

In this paper an attempt is made to analyze effective implementation of gender budgeting to reduce violence against women.

In her paper “Women Empowerment and Political Participation in India”, Namrata Chada has highlighted democracy being the rule by the people harps upon equal participation of women and men in the process of decision making.
Hence it becomes imperative for the government to take important decisions not only on national and international issues, but also on matters which affect women’s lives directly, such as maternity and child care.

Since 1951, women have been participating in the formal channel of politics as voters, as party workers, as candidates contesting various elections, and as legislators and ministers involved in deliberations and policy making.
The women’s movement have brought important 14 change in the perspective of political parties towards women.

Though the number of elected women representatives is small, the performance of elected women members in the deliberations of the legislature has been noteworthy.

Women have to recognize collectively and critically the forces that limit them and dare to change the unequal power structure to usher in to the process of empowerment.
Sucharita Pujari in her paper titled, “Engendering the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India” has tried to identify and understand the factors that inhibit participation of women in public space by reflecting on the study on women elected representatives by Verma and Bhatlas in selected few districts in India.
For women to be truly empowered, tangible measures at various levels of development has to be ensured, both at the policy and individual level to ensure active participation of rural women in the development process.

Strategies should be devised to address the deeply entrenched gender stereotypical norms that alienate women from engaging in public affairs.
Amita Kumari Patra in her paper titled “Infusion of Gender Equity in Local Governance: The Odisha Experiment” has analyzed the role of local self governance for ensuring gender equity through different provisions.

There are two paradoxically opposite schools of thought on gender equity in local governance.

While one school of thought advocates the positive trends towards gender equity in local self governance, the other school iterates that it is only a numerical representation and symbolic leadership.
Further, in the paper, few strategies are suggested to be evolved towards engendering the mechanism of local self governance.

Mainak Sarkar, in his paper titled “SHE – The Political Leader” has narrated the women leadership during the different ages of civilization.

Women’s lives in India and the world over are circumscribed by what can be termed as five ‘Ps’ i.e., Patriarchy, Productive resources access inadequacy, 15 Poverty, Promotion advancement insufficiency and Powerlessness.
In the world’s largest democracy, women hold merely about 10% of seats in India’s Parliament.

In Odisha, there is 50% reservation of women in the PRIs.

However the political representation may not imply political participation and realization of the powers and functions as public representatives.

The author suggested capacity building as a critical factor for enhancing the effectiveness of the elected representatives of PRIs especially the women Panchayati Raj representatives.
Women who aspire for becoming effective grassroots leaders must acquire specialized knowledge and experience in order to win elections and pursue inclusive policies at the local levels.
Anuradha Mohanty in her paper titled “Transcending Barriers, Transforming Lives” has narrated that in 1991-92 when PECUC, a civil society organization of Odisha started facilitating the formation of women SHGs in Balianta Block of Khordha district, remarkable changes in realm of their socio – economic empowerment have been observed.

Women have come forward to solve the problems of their families and neighbours on their own.
They have pioneered activities like anti liquor movement, education for girls and increasing access of poor people to various poverty alleviation programmes of the Govt, stopping child marriage, preventing child labour, reproductive child health, nutrition and organic farming, etc.

The article captures some major success stories in this regard.
Swarnamayee Tripathy in her paper titled “Gender, Institutions and Governance: The Question of Women’s Rights and Violence” has analysed the nature of governance in dealing with violence against women in India with special reference to Odisha.

The article also focus on the magnitude and dimensions of violence while exploring the possibilities of better public policy.
In the paper “Changing Dimensions of Rights of Women in India: A Legal Analysis” Debabrata Pani emphasizes that 16 the contemporary vulnerability of women in India drives to investigate the origin and ensured rights of women in India in different periods.
Women enjoy and live equally with men in all spheres of society in the Vedic & pre-Vedic period without any special privilege, but gradually their status streamed towards the state of defenselessness which forces the Governments to make legislations to protect the rights of women starting from domestic life to professional life.
This paper gives a vivid description of the spirit of laws relating to women, its applicability and its impact to prevent recurrence of any kind of violence for establishing a gender friendly society.

The paper by Amrita Patel titled “The case of the missing girls - what does the data of child sex ratio in Odisha indicate?” firstly presents the data of the child sex ratio of the state of Odisha and its trend along with the district variation.
It has been highlighted that more and more districts having low child sex ratio in the state which is along site with increasing literacy and better development indicators.

The paper reviews some of the literature on the cause and impact of the scenario of declining child sex ratio.

In the context of the missing girls and the strong son preference, the paper gives a message of social attitudinal change and its impact.
Jharana Swain in her paper “Challenges and Perspectives of Child Protection Issues” has emphasized on the emerging issues of the children in today’s society and the role of the CCIs, ICPS, CWC, Social activists, Police, CWC, state run facilities for ensuring protection and growth of children in the state.
Pramila Prava Pattnaik in her paper titled “Domestic Violence against women in India- Odisha Perspective” analyses that women face gender discrimination in all aspects of their lives and there is no exception within the family as well.

This problem is not only widely dispersed geographically, but its effects and consequences are also extensive, making it 17 a typical and accepted behavior.
The present research paper has made an attempt to examine various forms of domestic violence and explain its effects and consequences.

Besides, a comparative assessment of data analysis with regard to incidence of domestic violence in the context of India and Odisha as well has been depicted.

The study has also focused on impact of legislations (Protection of Domestic Violence Act, 2005) on incidence of domestic violence and its challenges.
Suggestive measures to curb incidence of domestic violence are also reflected for further intervention at different level.

The study is based on secondary sources of data secured from NFHS-III &IV (India and Odisha), published research reports and government information from website sources.
Sunanda Kanungo in her paper “Combating Child Marriage Menace: A Gender Perspective” highlighted that child marriage has been the most intricate issue in the global phenomena across the religion, caste, creed, culture and ethnicity.

It is the fundamental violation of Child Rights as the marriage takes place before the prescribed age of 18.
This paper narrates that child marriage has very adverse impact on both girls and boys, but girls are largely more affected with much intensity than boys as they face enormous challenges in the society.

The paper suggests some remedial measures to address the issue.

in her paper Chhandarani Mohanty titled “Developmental Challenges of Adolescence Girls” mentioned about the major barriers of the adolescent girl.
The paper suggests different intervention such as creating awareness about the benefit of health care during adolescent period, educating parent to prevent early marriage and teen age pregnancy and to provide good nutrition and enhance knowledge on the rights of adolescent girls.
The paper by Sanghamitra Jena titled “Women and Child Health Programmes in Odisha: A Critical Review, Efficacy 18 and Suggestive Measures” has made an attempt to assess the effectiveness of health programmes at the ground level and how people friendly procedures can be initiated.

It is a population based, cross sectional study where women and children were key stakeholders.
In due course of time, existing policy directives exclusively for women and the girl child, guiding principle and health related programmes were analyzed critically along with possible suggestive measures.
“Improving Nutrition for Women in Odisha” jointly authored by Sourav Bhattcharjee & Sonali Sinha have discussed about the nutritional status of women in Odisha and focused on importance of nutrition throughout the life cycle which has regained further impetus with it being taken forward in a mission mode through “Poshan Abhiyan” and recently launched “Anemia Mukta Bharat”.
In his paper titled “Role of Quality Primary Education for Girls and Socio-Economic Development; a bird- eye view of Odisha” Parikshit Sahu has analyzed education as a critical input for developing human ability that provides the instruments for emancipation from ignorance and subjugation.

Gender- based inequity in education is both a cause and effect of deep- rooted discrepancy in society.

The author focused on the different factors that demoralize the ability of women and girls to exercise their rights.
The author has suggested that imparting quality primary education to girls will definitely solve many socio-economic issues in the state in particular and the nation in general.

In her paper “Women on the Margins and Livelihood Rights: The Case of Self-Help Group Federation” Jyotirmayee Tudu emphasizes revitalization of self-help groups (SHGs) in India.

Most of the writings on this issue have focused on individual SHG rather than federation of SHGs.
Taking into account the above gap, this paper aims to discuss the prospect of SHG federation in sustaining livelihood for rural women.

19 Moreover, the chapter makes a detailed analysis on the process of formation of self-help group federation that started in India.

Further, it focused on different secondary literatures and empirical case studies on to what extent federating SHGs becomes fruitful in sustaining livelihood.
In his paper, “Sustainable Livelihood and Rural Women in Odisha” Subrat Mishra emphasizes that despite steady growth of Odisha’s economy the benefits of economic growth has not been percolated to the desired extent among the vulnerable sections of community like women, physically challenged and other disadvantaged groups.
In order to provide sustainable livelihood to the poor women community of state, Government of Odisha implements Odisha Livelihoods Mission programme to provide sustainable livelihood to the rural poor.
In spite of having created opportunities for self employment and generation of sustainable livelihood through promotion of micro enterprises, there have been areas of concern like fund utilization for consumption purposes, non-involvement of sectoral departments, delay in financing, inadequate infrastructure and default in repayment of loan.
The study recommends development of activity based clusters, regular capacity building programmes, involvement of Community Based Organizations as Self Help Promoting Institutions, convergence with other flagship poverty alleviation programmes, identification of viable projects, involvement of bankers, timely grading of groups, proper creation of infrastructure and marketing linkage that can aptly provide gainful employment to the rural poor women.
In his paper, “Contemporary Women’s Land Rights Discourse in India: Key Barriers to Property Inheritance” Sanjoy Patnaik has narrated that despite promulgation of progressive legislative frameworks to protect rights, creation of well- defined spaces in Plan documents backed by a powerful national gender discourse; women’s property rights remains a nagging socio-development challenge in the country.
Though 20 the country exhibits visible economic prosperity through growing techno-industrial growth and ventures; our women and girls continue to be unsafe and are forced to lead a life without dignity and self-esteem.

The tribal customary practices have been the mother of a number of protective and community centric legislations in India, but it has come to protecting women’s property rights they have been far from being gender sensitive and responsive.
This paper delineates the importance of revisiting existing laws in force to integrate gender questions for desired equity dividends, reiterate complementarily of social mobilisation and policy process for mutual gains, focused intervention in women’s property rights as a means to achieve human security and safety.
In the paper, “Provisions and Status of Women in Forest Rights”, Sonali Mohapatra analyses that in India, land is a critical resource for survival of majority of poor and rural households as it provides the identity and cultural root to population.

In the context of gender and women’s empowerment, the paper tries to highlight the legislations that have an impact around forest land tenure at the community level and the provisions for women’s rights and their participation.
In the paper, “Gender concerns in Natural Resource Governance” Swapnasri Sarangi brings to light that natural resource governance such as land, forest, water, soil, plants and animals with a focus on how governance affects the quality of life for both present and future generation.

It deals in managing the way in which people and natural landscapes interact.
Though women are the biggest user of these resources, interacts more closely with them and have more knowledge about these resources, they are not given their due share of recognition in the governance system.

They are subjected to specific constraints due to the prevailing gender inequalities and these constraints shape the results they obtain in natural resource governance.
As natural resource contributes substantially to the household income of the rural communities 21 in India in general and Odisha in particular it becomes essential to understand this issue and look for possible ways to ensure women participation more meaningful in Natural Resource Governance.

Since women are key to the use and management of our natural resources, empowering them to ensure better use and conservation of these resources are vital for sustainability issue.
Key concerns for promoting women’s participation in natural resource governance should be promoted and these must focus on their access to and the control of resources.
Girish Swain in his paper “Spearheading Women’s Empowerment in Rural India: Convergence of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA in ICDS” highlights that 73rd constitutional amendment was an attempt to vitalize good governance and to ensure political as well as socio-economic freedom to various marginalized sections of the society like schedule caste, schedule tribes and more specifically the women folk.

The Panchayati Raj institutions have always proved to be the vehicles of effective good governance.
At the opeartional core, Panchayat members can contribute towards the effective functioning of the ICDS programme.

In this perspective this study aims at analyzing the participation of Gram Panchayats in the ICDS Programme.
The study attempts the analytical exposition of basic components of striking convergence between critically important wings like Department of Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Department of Women & Child Development towards promoting healthcare and nutrition support for mothers and children.

22 CONTENTS 1.

Institutions of the Poor and Panchayats ....................... 01 S.M Vijayananda GENDER & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT – A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 2.

3.
3.

Gender Divide to Gender Development: ..................... 12 A Reflection on the Discourses and the Dilemmas Navaneeta Rath & Amita Kumari Patra Gender Equality In The Era Of Globalization - .............. 29 The Indian Context Manasi Pradhan 4.

Empowering Women: Initiatives and Measures ........... 39 Saroj Ku Dash 5.

6.

7.
6.

7.

From Dole to Dignity: The Paradigm ............................. 50 Shift in Women’s Empowerment Kalyani Sarangi Gender Responsive Budgeting in Odisha – ................... 60 A Close look Sujata Pati Rethinking Gender Budgeting for combating ............... 78 violence against women in India Jayanta Choudhury & Ms Moutoshi Deb GENDER AND GOVERNANCE: 8.

Women Empowerment and Political ............................ 91 Participation in India Namrata Chada 9.
Engendering the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India ... 103 Sucharita Pujari 10.

Infusion of Gender Equity in Local Governance: .......... 108 The Odisha Experiment Amita Kumari Patra 23 11.

“SHE” - The Political Leader ........................................ 118 Mainak Sarkar 12.

Transcending Barriers, Transforming Lives ................... 128 Anuradha Mohanty DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: 13.
Gender, Institutions and Governance: ....................... 138 The Question of Women’s Rights and Violence Swarnamayee Tripathy 14.

Changing Dimensions of Rights of Women .................. 166 in India: A Legal Analysis Debabrata Pani 15.

The case of the missing girls - what does the .............. 201 data of child sex ratio in Odisha indicate?

Amrita Patel 16.

Challenges and Perspectives of Child Protection Issues211 Jharana Swain 17.
Domestic Violence against women in India- ............... 219 Odisha Perspective Pramila Prava Patnaik 18.

Combating Child Marriage Menace: ............................ 234 A Gender Perspective Sunanda Kanungo 19.

Developmental Challenges Of Adolescence Girls ....... 241 Chhandarani Mohanty HEALTH, NUTRITION AND EDUCATION: 24 20.

Women and Child Health Programmes in Odisha: ....... 248 A Critical Review, Efficacy and Suggestive Measures Sanghamitra Jena 21.
Improving Nutrition for Women in Odisha .................. 262 Sourav Bhattacharjee & Sonali Sinha 22.

Role of Quality Primary Education for ......................... 279 Girls and Socio-Economic Development; a bird-eye view of Odisha Parikshit Sahu SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD FOR WOMEN: 23.

Women on the Margins and Livelihood Rights: ........... 294 The Case of Self-Help Group Federation Jyoti Tudu 24.
Sustainable Livelihood and Rural Women in Odisha .... 310 Subrat Ku Mishra LAND RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (NRM) - ROLE OF WOMEN 25.

Contemporary Women’s Land Rights Discourse ........... 322 in India: Key Barriers to Property Inheritance Sanjoy Pattnaik 26.

Provisions and Status of Women in Forest Rights ........ 332 Sonali Mohapatra 27.

Gender concerns in Natural Resource Governance ..... 342 Swapnasri Sarangi CONVERGENCE OF FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: 28.
Spearheading Women’s Empowerment ...................... 353 in Rural India: Convergence of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA in ICDS Girish Prasad Swain 25 INSTITUTIONS OF THE POOR AND PANCHAYATS S. M. Vijayanand Introduction The Self Help Group (SHG) movement in India started in the 1990s.

Around the same time, the 73rd amendment of the Constitution brought in Panchayati Raj.

Inexplicably both these democratic experiments proceeded in parallel with no link whatsoever.

The reasons for this are not far to seek.


Initially, the SHG programmes were largely in the domain of NGOs though they were directly supported by banks, mostly in the public sector.

Later, when the programme was up scaled under the States, the funds came from donors who had a Community Driven Development perspective.

SHGs were seen as thrift and savings agencies in the beginning and not as entities for democratic development.

The focus was more on the family and the neighbourhood.
There was also the fear of distraction from thrift and credit and livelihood activities.

The Panchayats were perceived as weak, powerless, with limited resources and of low capacity.
The myths and fears about the Panchayats include:   Panchayats do not understand development Panchayats do not have capacity to carry out developmental tasks  Panchayats have feudal values often gender- unfriendly 26      Panchayats are liable to elite capture Panchayats are messy to deal with Panchayats are political and partisan Panchayats are corrupt Panchayats are wastrels It has also to be mentioned that officials are more comfortable with SHGs rather than elected local governments who often tend to question decisions and directions given without discussions.
And politicians are also not threatened by SHGs as opposed to legitimate local political formations of leaders in the form of active panchayats as power has to be coded to elected local governments.

Further they were contesting development ideologies in the wake of the neo- liberal paradigm which was in the ascendant at that point of time.

The Community Driven Development was seen as more realistic compared with local government led development.
Self-help came to be preferred to state provided welfare, ignoring the structural constraints, political, economic and social, which perpetuated poverty.

Development came to be associated with economics and it was felt that a political development is possible.
Naturally the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) which grew out of the experience of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Kerala did not give much importance to Panchayati Raj in the beginning till, in 2013 a major policy decision was taken to develop a framework of partnership between SHGs of the poor and the elected panchayats, particularly under the village level.
This resulted in pilots in the States of Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Mizoram (spread over five years) anchored by Kudumbashree of Kerala which has been designated as the National Resource Organisation for this purpose.

Later, in 2016, 27 specific guidelines detailing the partnership were issued by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Now when it has been decided to launch a Peoples Plan Campaign at the national level to prepare effective Grama Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), it is proposed to make the partnership fully functional and synergetic.
The Kerala Experience When Kerala embarked on its innovative and path- breaking Peoples Plan in 1996, SHGs (called as Neighbourhood Groups or NHGs in the state) were already in existence in all the Municipalities and Corporations of the state and also in the Grama Panchayats of Malappuram District.
While some people argued that the NHG system should be kept away from the Panchayati Raj and Municipal institutions, the elected leaders of these local governments strongly felt that the NHG network has to function directly under their supervision.

This led to considerable discussions and debate at the policy making level and Government came to a clear conclusion that both the local governments and the NHG network are fully autonomous and there is no question of any control.
But, in the larger interest of development of the poor, and in deepening democracy, it was strongly felt that the local governments and the NHG network should closely work with each other, with clear demarcation of rights and responsibilities and absolute right to information about each other.

The NHGs were envisaged as the next step in democratic decentralization and expected to function as peoples groups working as subsystems of the local government and not as subordinate systems.
With this policy, certain formal linkages were brought about to make the partnership real and functional.

These linkages are outlined below: 1.
Structural Linkages  Neighbourhood Groups as sub-systems of Gram Sabha 28        Area Development Society (ADS) equivalent to the Village Organisation co-terminous with the Ward which also Grama Sabha in Kerala Community Development Society (CDS) similar to Cluster Level Federation co-terminous with the Village Panchayat Elected representative as patron of ADS in the Ward Member-Secretary of CDS appointed by the Village Panchayat  now Assistant Secretary of the Panchayat ADS as a Sub-Committee of the Ward Developmental Committees of Panchayats Five elected women representatives of Village Panchayats are members of the Governing Council of CDS Appraisal Committee at the Village Panchayat level headed by the President of the Panchayat.
  Regular quarterly meetings Follow up of decisions in the elected body and in the CDS 2.
Developmental Linkages     Represented in all important Working Groups of the Village Panchayat which prepare suggestions for the Peoples’ Plan Key position in the Working Group on Anti Poverty Sub-Plan Community plans of CDS feeding into the Anti Poverty Sub-Plan Preparation of gender status study done with the 29 full involvement of CDS  Joint efforts in care and compassion schemes    Ashraya for the destitutes Palliative care for the terminally ill BUDS school for mentally challenged children Key role of CDS in Jagratha Samitis/Child Welfare Committees Critical role in organisation of MGNREGA works  Active role in Labour Budget preparation  Mate from women SHG network Bal Sabhas and Bal Panchayats CDS system as an accredited agency for execution of public works Out sourcing of services of Panchayats especially those related to sanitation to the CDS system      3.
Financial Linkages   Flow of decentralised plan funds especially the ten percent mandatory set apart for the women component of the Peoples’ Plan Special funding for care and compassion programmes 4.

Other Linkages    Participation in campaigns for cleanliness, health, etc.
Innovative programmes – Gender status studies : mapping of crimes against women Cultural – Literary creations as voices of the poor Results of the participation This partnership which is two decades old has mostly produced positive results of which the important ones are listed 30 below:        Collective farming as a successful joint effort – using leased-in land High pro-poor expenditure especially for Minimum Needs infrastructure.

Convergence with human development initiatives very significant.
Active role of NHGs in selection of beneficiaries High levels of influence through participation in Gram Sabha Concept of Anti Poverty Sub-Plan becoming a reality Panchayat - People-Professional partnership leading to excellent performance of care and compassion schemes  Women elected members strengthened by the backing of the CDS system     Problems of the poor related to destitution, gender, disability, better analyzed and understood Poor have a better understanding of the processes of accessing public programmes and funds Silent social accountability Political empowerment – nearly two-third of elected women members of all local governments from the Kudumbashree stream Lessons for Rest of India Nature of Panchayats and SHG network Panchayats are constitutional entities in the form of institutions of self government, constituting the third tier of governance with clear functions and responsibilities.
The Constitutional mandate of Panchayats is to prepare local plans 31 for economic development and social justice.

Panchayats are political and legal entities, they function as civic agencies, welfare agencies and managers and supervisors of service delivery institutions.

In practice, there are institutions of participatory democracy.

The SHG network consists of essentially common affinity and interest groups.

They are people’s institutions of self help.


They can function as strong advocacy agency and vehicles of demand to access public services and resources.

They are depositories of social capital with a capacity to evolve social consensus on different issues.

They are also institutions of social democracy and practice direct and deliberative democracy.

They have the capacity to act as effective project entities particularly in the area of livelihoods.
For the functioning of SHGs, five capitals are commonly recognized as assets of SHGs – social, physical, financial, green and human.

But for people to access public services, resources and realize their rights, two more capitals are necessary; civic capital to act as citizens and political capital to have a decisive say in the allocation and use of resources.

These two capitals can be realized only in active partnership with local governments.
It will enable the poor to learn the exercise democratic power.

They can influence through participatory planning; they can develop a social construed of deservingness and merit and above all ensure fairness in local decision making.

They have the potential to move up the empowerment ladder and attain the capacity for effective and collective public action for common good.

The partnership would enable the poor to access additional resources like MGNREGS and Fourteenth Finance Commission Grants.
They can access services relating to food and nutrition and fulfill their basic minimum needs like housing, drinking water, sanitation, roads, street lights, parks, crematoria and so on.

32 From the point of view of Panchayats, it helps to deepen democracy and broaden participation.

The alliance with SHGs will enhance political and social legitimacy.

From a practical point of view it will help the Panchayats to strengthen the Grama Sabha.
Elected women representatives would specially benefit from the joined-up functioning.
What Panchayats Can Do       Coordinate the Participatory Identification of the Poor (PIP) Facilitate the formation and nurture growth of poor people’s organizations Mentor such organizations Give primacy to such organizations while taking decisions on matters related to poverty by involving them in planning for poverty reduction and converging resources and services meant for poverty reduction in response to the participatory plans prepared by them Channel funds to such organizations for specific projects Use such organizations for outreach as well as for implementation including operation and maintenance of utilities and assets  Realize the potential for campaigns    health/sanitation cultural social   Give preference in leasing out ponds, common lands Use the organisations for participatory assessments/ surveys   gender status state of children 33   destitutes terminally ill     Utilize the organizations for feedback Use the organizations to strengthen Gram sabha through informed participation.
Utilize SHG network for community-based monitoring Allow the organisations to social audit expenditures related to poverty reduction  though much later What People’s Groups Can Do     Accept PRIs as institutions to be engaged with and not confronted and hold frequent interactions – formal and informal Provide necessary information to PRIs on the situation and functioning of SHGs Take PRIs into confidence while preparing plans for development Take up joint projects  Work closely with PRIs and act as a medium for delivery of services and development  Work closely with elected women representatives and back them up – sisterhood and solidarity    Participate actively, articulate demand for quality public services and ensure direct and continuing social accountability through functional Gram Sabhas Assist in selection of beneficiaries Monitor anti-poverty programmes and poverty indicators 34   Submit regular reports to the Panchayat Groom members to contest Panchayat elections In fact, the SHGs can help in addressing deficiencies of the Panchayat system, as indicated below:  Capacity Gap of GPs - Providing outreach service - Taking up out-sourced tasks  Gaps in understanding of development - Community situation analysis  Deficiency in participation  Development deficiencies  Governance deficiencies - Can be easily removed by poor people’s organizations - Can be reduced participatory planning through - Can be covered through participatory fora, community based monitoring, citizen scorecards  Risks of politics and partisanship - Dialogue and consensus ® Can be combated by the unity of the SHGs  Risks of elite capture of Panchayats - Rapid empowerment of the poor can reduce the risk  Risk of corruption - Increased social accountability- more implicit Steps to bring about effective Panchayat - SHG partnership Naturally the partnership has to be context specific.
To start with, the powers, functions and resources of Panchayats, especially the Grama Panchayats, need to be analyzed.

Also the level of maturity of SHGs needs to be understood.

With 35 this understanding, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) can be held with elected members of Panchayats, SHG leaders and representatives of civil society organizations, to get clarity on the perceptions, expectations and fears.

The feedback from FGDs could be utilized to outline the features of the partnership.
The lessons learned by Kudumbashree through their field experiments in different states could prove useful in this exercise.

This exercise needs to be followed up by detailed capacity building including attitudinal and behavioural training.

Pilots should be avoided in working out the partnership on ground.

But the concept of “Resource Block” could be adopted by which a few Blocks are saturated and through a hub and spoke model, multiple Blocks can be reached out to and transformed.
MGNREGS could be utilized to cement the partnership with the SHGs which will be fully and formally involved in the preparation of Labour Budget, in organizing works by supplying mates and barefoot technicians and also by providing basic facilities to the workers like crèches, drinking water, sanitation, etc.

Likewise the Grama Panchayat Development Plan and Swachh Bharat Mission could be effectively used to strengthen the partnership.
Ideally the SHGs and Village Organizations and the Grama Panchayats need to have review of the partnership as a regular agenda item in their meetings.

They need to conduct joint campaigns for health, sanitation, enrolment in schools, etc.

Also a larger alliance between elected women representatives and SHG network needs to be forged.

The partnership needs to be carefully monitored and a system put in place for sorting out teething problems.
CONCLUSION If SHGs and Panchayats work together, the gains of local democracy would multiply.

But if they work in parallel they would cancel themselves out.

If the SHGs, which are “the institutions of the poor” work closely in alliance with the Panchayats, they can transform them into “institutions for the  poor”.
36 GENDER DIVIDE TO GENDER DEVELOPMENT: A REFLECTION ON THE DISCOURSES AND THE DILEMMAS Navaneeta Rath & Amita Kumari Patra Gender divide is a social reality, universal and antique in character.

Differential roles, rights, resource distribution, relationships well signalize it.

Long standing cultural beliefs, social norms and practices promote and perpetuate gender discrimination.

Gender development is a recent development dating back to the mid of the twentieth century and calling forth gender equality.
With the feminist movements taking their momentum across the world around the 1960s, cry for gender equality became prominent in the western world.

It was strongly realised that the world is completely patriarchal.

The feminists and the development theorists started realising that gender inequality would be a negation to social progress, national development and nation building process.
This led to thinking for mainstreaming of women in the development process and making development programmes yielding for women.

This led the foundation of gender and development approach.

In short, gender development was thought to respond effectively to end the long standing gender divide.

37 Practically speaking, the concept of gender and development has its root in the larger development discourse.
The western model of development with its aggressive growth oriented development strategy adopted by the newly liberated countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America in the early1950s failed to bring social and distributive justice and was contrary to the idea of generating a just and humane society.

Rather, it widened the social cleavage further marginalising the already marginalised groups.

One of the worst marginalised groups of this development process was the women.
To quote Haleh Afshar ( 1991:15) the process of “development in the developing countries has, by and large, marginalised women and deprived them of the control over resources and authority within the household, without lightening the heavy burden of their ‘traditional duties’.” Further, the theories of poverty gave a boost to the idea of bringing gender to the centrality of the development discourse.
The feminists criticised the intra household inequalities emerging from the patriarchal norms giving precedence to men.

To them, a symmetrical gender relations of the family replicate and reflect itself in the larger society.

This led the United Nation to take a pioneering role in assigning a space to women in the development strategies right from the beginning of the United Nations Decade for development.
In 1962, the General Assembly instructed the Commission on the Status of Women to prepare a report on women’s role in development, but the focus remained concentrated on the developmental impacts on women and their state of enjoying legal rights.

Tinker(1990) notes that the first UN Development Decade (1961-1970) could not bring perceptible progress in the gender development approach.
But the Second United Nations Development Decade (1971-1980) witnessed a major shift in approach and could integrate 38 women’s development in the International Development Strategy.

The General Assembly during this period could identify three key objectives that the United Nations was to strive for the advancement of women.
These were: (i) Full gender equality and the elimination of gender discrimination; (ii) The integration and full participation of women in development; and (iii) An increased contribution by women in the strengthening of world peace.

The First World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975 (9 June – 2 July) was a major watershed in bringing women issues into development discourses.
It raised a collective voice against the world community that it is not only passive to the causes of the women, but is oppressive to the community as a whole.

This brought a change in the lens with which the women were perceived and stirred dialogues, debates and transformed the gender development discourse.

The world community arrived at a new consensus that development was not possible without the full participation and active partnership of the women.
At the international level two institutions were set up to give a boost to gender equality mission.

They were: the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) as an institutional framework for research, training and operational activities in the area of women and development.

All the nation states started making women development a priority area in their national development agenda.
The beginning of the 1980s noticed a powerful commentary of Robin Morgan in her classic collection called Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women’s Movement Anthology (1984).

On page one, the author noted “While women represent half of the global population and one- third of the labour force, they receive only one-tenth of the world income and own less than one percent of world property.
They are also responsible for two-third of all working hours.” 39 This called for scaling up action to make the development agenda more delivering for women.

These voices were echoed in an amplified manner in the subsequent World Conferences at Copenhagen, 1980; Nairobi, 1985; and Beijing, 1995.

Gradually, development dialogues brought women issues to the centrality of debates.

More specifically, Goal 3 of the MDG and Goal 5 of the SDG clearly spell out promoting gender equality and empowering women.
On the whole, two major paradigms dominate the “women and development” discourse.

They are the welfare and the developmental perspectives (Tasli,2007).

But Mayra Buvinic noted three sub approaches to women and development while Caroline Moser delineated another two sub approaches.

The “welfare approach” or the Social assistance perspective originated in the 1950s and remained as the dominant paradigm in gender and development discourse up to the 1970s.
This perspective was developed during the era of decolonization and political transitioning of most of the African and Asian countries.

It addressed women “almost solely in their roles as wives and mothers and welfare policies for women remained restricted to social welfare concerns such as nutritional training, education and home economics”.

Women were perceived as passive recipients rather than active participants in the process of development (Moser, 1993: 59- 60 and Razavi and Miller, 1995: 6-7).
This included two sub approaches that are Women and Development and Women in Development.

The three major waves of feminism had their formative influence on Women in development (WID) approach.

Liberal feminism had its maximum influence on the WID approach.

The term “women in development” owes its origin to a Washington-based network of female development professionals (Tinker, 1990:30).
The Danish economist, Ester Boserup’s seminal work Women’s Role in Economic 40 Development (1970) gave a major impetus to the WID approach.

Boserup challenged the conventional wisdom that women were less productive and therefore not entitled to a share of scarce development resources (Jaquette, 1990:61).

She highlighted on the primary responsibility undertaken by women in food production as a global reality.
Boserup’s book sent a shock wave through northern development agencies and humanitarian organization .She criticised the productivity increasing modern technology of west was undermining the women.

She noted that women are pushed out of their traditional role of food production as they were not technologically skilled and remained confined to subsistence agriculture.

The WID theorists were staunch critics of the trickle down approach of the west centric development theory.
To them, development models were developmental and delivering for men and detrimental to the status of women.

The WID theorists hammered on the exclusion of women in the development designs and made a strong advocacy for their inclusion.

Equal rights, employment, equity and citizenship for women were the central themes in the women in development approach.
The WID approach was initiated in the early 1970s through the liberal feminist movement in the United States, from the emerging body of research on women in developing countries and became institutionalised by the Percy Amendment to the US Foreign Assistance in 1973 and subsequently through The United Nations Decade for Women and its associated women’s conferences.
The World Bank became the pioneering international organization to recognize the need for Women in Development, appointing a WID Adviser in 1977.Further, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in June 1990 declaring the years 1991-2000 as the “SAARC Decade of Girl Child” translated the WID approach into a programmes of action.
41 However, the WID approach is criticised have to address to the symptoms rather than the causes of gender inequality.

It focused narrowly on inequalities and ignored the structural and the socio economic factors that cause inequalities between gender (Visvanathan, 1997,21).This approach hardly focussed on the unequal power relations shaping the gender relations in the society.
The Harvard Analytical Framework with Catherine Overholt, Mary Anderson and Kathleen Clud, popularly known as the Harvard Team attempted to address the shortcomings of the WID approach to women’s development.

The team made its suggestion to make women a significant component in all development projects and programmes, to earmark and allocate resources for them which can better integrate them in the process of development and make development initiatives more pro-women in character.
The WID approach underwent a major transformation throughout the 1970s and the 1980s.

The equity approach was the original focus of WID perspective.

It was introduced by the WID movement in the United States.

The WID movement criticised development programmes looking at women from their reproductive role and trying to provide welfare services as charity.
Mayra Buvinic (1986) points out that the equity model intended to cut across the inequality between men and women both in the private and public spheres.

It intended to integrate women in the market and ensure gender equality in the market place which is a key factor in promoting the position of women in the society.

In order to reduce the inequalities between men and women, the equity approach demanded political and economic autonomy for women.
For ensuring this autonomy, the approach needed top-down state intervention.

Redistribution of resources between the gender groups along with a change in the power relation was thought to provide a concrete shape to the expectations of the equity approach.

42 However, the approach could not make much headway to break the male monopoly and as Moser observes its policy pronunciations could not get translated into real practice.
From mid 1970s, the anti-poverty approach started gaining momentum as the second WID approach.

The anti- poverty approach targeted at reducing the existing inequalities between men and women by reducing the income inequalities.

Observations like “Feminization of poverty” and “Women make up half of the world’s population and yet represent a staggering 70% of the world’s poor” were the germinating points of the anti-poverty approach.
So, poverty alleviation among women became the prime focus of all development policies and programmes.

During this period, two anti-poverty strategies emerged.

The first approach was called “income-generating” strategy and the second was “basic needs strategy”.

The “income generating” strategy was a monetary approach while the “basic needs” approach was a right based approach.
The first strategy tried to expand the possibilities of employment that could ensure an income to the poor and the basic needs strategy aimed at fulfilling the fundamental and minimum human needs.

Irrespective of its noble objectives, the anti- poverty programmes had their limitations in alleviating the situation of women.

Many anti-poverty programmes were translated into welfare programmes during the course of their implementation.
The income generation programmes could not introduce much innovation rather remained confined to the traditional activities undertaken by women.

Further, equal distribution and access to productive resources were proved to be myths by the prevailing culture and practice.

The approach became successful in the economic advancement of women but could not guarantee them greater autonomy.

However, the approach was successful in focusing on the productive and reproductive role of women.
The efficiency approach emerged as the third approach of the WID perspective.

It became an off shoot of the economic 43 reforms under the Structural Adjustment Programmes of the International Monetary fund and the World Bank.

The efficiency approach condemned that women’s productive capacities are kept as the unutilized and underutilized in the process of development.
The advocates of this approach propounded that women should not be treated as the “Invisible Hand” ,but as the “Effective, V isible and V ital” contributors to the development process.

Increased economic participation was identified as an index of and an instrument for ensuring greater equity.
Advocates of this approach argued that understanding men’s and women’s roles and responsibilities as part of the planning of development activities helps to improve effectiveness and ensures that women, as well as men, can play their part in national development.

The efficiency approach succeeded in bringing the concerns of women into the mainstream of development.
This approach advocated adding efficiency to women through imparting skills; trainings and making them capable to handle new technologies would strengthen their productive roles.

The women and development (WAD) approach originated back in 1975 in Mexico city having its roots in the neo-Marxist and dependency theory perspective.

It tried to explain the conditions of women against patriarchy and capitalism which seemed to be exploitative for women.
Adopting a Marxist feminist approach, the main argument of WAD was that women had always been an integral part of the development processes.

They are out and out major economic actors.

Their work in the care economy and in the green economy goes invisible and unpaid.
WAD recogniseed women’s knowledge, goals, work and responsibilities as contributing to development with the assertion that their contribution has always been overlooked and marginalized in development plans of their countries (Connelly et al, 2000).

This syndrome sustains global inequalities.


The WAD theorists criticised the WID advocacy for integrating women 44 into development as they are themselves part of the process.WAD was very persuasive in asserting that development to be meaningful for women needs to acknowledge women’s productive and reproductive roles.WAD makes an advocacy for spreading information and awareness regarding women’s roles and needs to organize women into autonomous local groups to put forth strongly women’s needs.
Rathegeber (1988) argues that though, theoretically, WAD addresses the issue of class, in its practical formulation of development projects, issues of race, class or ethnicity are ignored and women are grouped together into certain special economic projects.

However, WAD fails to fully consider and examine the relationships between patriarchy, modes of production, and the marginalization of women.
It underplays the role of patriarchy in undermining women’s development and does not adequately address the question of social relations between men and women and their impact on development.

The developmental approach developed in the mid 1980s as a replacement for the welfare approach demanded that women have every right to design development, direct development and reap the benefits of development equally with the men.

Development of women should demand their active participation.
Unless and until the women become role players, they cannot become the real beneficiaries of the development programmes.

So, development programmes should provide equal space to both the gender groups and should reflect the needs of both the groups and should be directed to serve the interests of both the gender groups.

The Developmental approach insisted upon “Gender and Development ” programmes and the empowerment strategies.
In the 1980s, feminist experiences, policy planner’s experiments gave rise to the Gender and Development (GAD) 45 approach.

It tried to overcome the limitations of, the WID and WAD approaches.

GAD rested upon GAD the Socialist Feminism ideology and sought to ensure that both women and men participate in and benefit equally from development.
The GAD became a holistic approach that proposed fundamental changes in the socio-economic and political structure of the society to bring about a perceptible change in the position of women.

It portrayed women as precursor of change rather than being the passive recipients of development efforts.

The main focus of GAD became gender mainstreaming and it proposed for top-down state intervention for women’s emancipation.

The GAD framework owes its origin to the works of Caroline Moser.
The major focus of the Moser framework included gender role identification, gender needs assessment, disaggregating control of resources and decision making within the households, balancing the triple roles of reproduction, production and community management for women.

The ultimate goal of the GAD approach was to create equitable and sustainable development for both men and women and to make them equal participating members in the decision making process.
Since the mid of 1980s, there has been a consensus that sustainable development demands an adequate understanding of the role, rights and responsibilities of both men and women within the community and their inter relation with each other.

This has become the foundation of the GAD approach.

The GAD suggested development programmes affect men and women differently because of their differing roles, responsibilities, reaches to resources and priorities.
Gender analysis should concentrate on these aspects and should bring about solutions to make development programmes equally benefiting men and women.

The GAD visualised that every development process passes through three phases i.e.

project 46 level, policy level and programme level and it recommended to have women’s visibility at every stage.

Gender mainstreaming happens to be the chief strategy and major instrument of the GAD concept.
In July, 1997, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) defined the concept of gender mainstreaming as follows: “Mainstreaming is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of woman as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementations, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated.
The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality”.

Thus, the GAD approach was quite influential for the third world feminist and grassroots organisations.

It floated the empowerment approach to ingrain self-reliance in women and to influence change at the policy, legislative, societal, economic and other levels to their advantage.

Its main strategy is awareness-raising and putting up women firmly as active participants in ensuring change through vigilance and voice raising.
The empowerment approach developed at the fag end of the 1980s as a new approach in the “Gender and Development” discourse.

To quote Moser “the origins of the empowerment approach are derived less from the research of the First World women and more from the emergent feminist writings and grass root organizational experience of Third World women”(Moser,1989).
Particularly, DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era), which is a “network of activists, researchers and policymakers” from the Third World has an important contribution for the genesis and growth of this approach.

Empowerment approach is considered to be the most critical and the most promising among all the approaches.

The empowerment approach urges for radical changes in the socio-economic and political structures of the societies.
47 However, in contrast to the GAD, it rejects state intervention.

Instead of top-down state policies, it relies on bottom-up movements of the grass-root people.

The empowerment approach underlines the necessity of women to increase their socio-economic, political and cultural power so that they can challenge the existing structures by themselves.

The main thrusts of empowerment approach are awareness generation, political mobilization and to acquire “created space” not “invited space”.
The Beijing Declaration (section 13), presents women’s empowerment as a key strategy for development: “Women’s empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace”.

Hashemi and Schuler (1996) defined the empowerment of women through the use of six vital characteristics.
They are:       Having a sense of self and a vision of the future Having mobility and visibility Having economic security by having cash income, new skills and knowledge Having status and decision-making power within the household, Having the ability to interact effectively in the public sphere Participating in non-family groups, such as credit programs, and solidarity movements and local decision making bodies.
The GAD approach is criticized for over emphasizing the social differences between men and women without providing equal weightage on the bonds between them and the potentials they have for change.

Further, it is also alleged that GAD does 48 not dig deep enough into social relations and how cultural changes can be brought about to bring vital changes in gender relations.

As a follow up to measure the progress in gender development efforts and effectiveness, two measures were devised.
These are: The GDI and the GEM.

The GDI brings out the inequalities in the basic indicators like gender-gaps in life expectancy, education, and incomes while the GEM introduced in 1995 measures gender inequality in the key areas of economic and political participation and decision–making.
The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is an index for measurement of gender disparity that was introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report in the 20th anniversary edition by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

According to the UNDP, this index uses three dimensions to do so: reproductive health, empowerment, and labour market participation to identify the degree of gender inequality.

India’s efforts at gender development are praiseworthy.
The women centric policies, flagship programmes for women, institutional supports for women and above all, gender budgeting measures reflect the keen interest of the government to end gender divide and embark upon the global gender development mission.

The Global Gender Gap Index 2017 ranked India 108th.In women’s health, India ranked 142nd in the index, third from bottom.

It ranked 125 of 159 countries in the Gender Inequality Index (GII).
The ratio of maternal mortality is 174 against every 100,000 live births.

Only 12.2 per cent of Parliament seats are held by women.

26.8 per cent of women above the age of 15 years are part of India’s labour force — compared to 79.1 per cent men.

Women’s predominance in care and green economy, informal economy with no payment, least payment and deferred payment still continues to be a perennial feature of the country.
Women in the country have become the worst victims of labour 49 and sexual among slavery, displacement.

Their bargaining power is minimum, they still lack of skill and lack of propensity to migrate.

Physical insecurities loom large on women in India.

Estimate places number of sex workers in country at 3 million and the dominant group being the women and adolescent girls.
As per a reporting of the Thomson Reuters Foundation India is the most dangerous nation for sexual violence against women, as well as human trafficking for domestic work, forced labour, forced marriage other reasons(CNN,2018).Surrogacy, live in relationship, single headed households have proved to be detrimental to the status of women and bring more gender inequality.

Women are worst affected by water and energy deficits.
According to All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2010-11, at higher education level, 55 percent of male are enrolled in under graduate and post graduate courses while only 45 percent of female are enrolled in the same.

Also, 62 percent of male are enrolled in PhD while only 38 percent of female are enrolled in the same.

The sex ratio of the country is noted to be 940 in 2011 and it is estimated that 23.9 lakh people are infected with HIV in India, of whom 39% are females.
A recent G20 survey ranked India as the worst place for a woman.

India ranks fifth lowest in having women in leadership roles with their share rising to 20 per cent in 2018 (Press Trust of India, 2018).India ranks 105th in the world for female representation in politics, with only 61 women lawmakers in the 543-member Lok Sabha and 24 women MPs out of a total of 240 members in Rajya Sabha.

As of January 2017, 10 women are serving as Head of State and 9 are serving as Head of Government.
Prof. Amartya Sen notes seven types of inequalities still shroud the Indian women and deny the achievements in gender development.

They are: Mortality inequality, Natality inequality, Basic facility inequality, Special opportunity inequality, Professional inequality, Ownership inequality and Household inequality.

All these situations symbolise the continuing gender inequality of the country.

India’s progress in gender and 50 development mission has been slow and retarded.
It is still an elusive goal for the country.

The reasons are manifold and the lacunae are multifarious.

Still there are some missing links in our gender development policies and programmes.

India’s gender development policies though are rich in spirit are poor in implementation.

Most of these policies are implemented through a top down approach without having the reverse order in operation.

So, they have become governmental policies and programmes without a popular onus.
It is high time now to transit into bottom up approach to foster people’s participation and more so that of women.

This will provide a true shape to the objectives of gender and development.

Gender development policies and programmes in the country continue in a handholding fashion.

This brings a vacuum in the popular commitment to carry out the programmes and entails financial and manpower burdens on the administration.
This also fails to create leadership among gender groups to design and direct the programmes and success of these external run programmes remain as a mirage.

Further, gender development in India has emulated the west centric model without having its indigenous innovation.

Local specific innovations are missing in the gender development efforts and needs of women at local level hardly get a space in the development designing.
Further, marginalised gender groups need skill, education and training to come up to a level to steer the gender development programmes.

Now the gender binary is substituted by a gender trinity.

But, Indian gender development policies have not yet vigorously taken up the third gender issues into its fold.

The third gender group need to surface in the country’s gender development agenda from their hidden and stigmatised status.
Further, balanced visibility of all gender groups, voices of all gender groups along with their constant vigilance will make Indian gender development policies and programmes not only inclusive, but also meaningful.

51 Gender development agenda needs to be the responsibility of the state, non state actors and the people belonging to various gender groups.

The CSR of the industries, the civil society, the voluntary organisations need to take it up as a priority area.
They can generate their own agenda with people’s support and implement it to strengthen the functioning of gender development in the country.

Thus, the gender development discourse is dynamic.

It has changed keeping itself tuned with the changing demands of the time and the changing needs of the women.

But in India, it needs a transfer from the government’s mission to the people’s action.
Under such situation, the dilemmas can be avoided, the gender divide can be eroded and gender development can become not a myth, but a reality.

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London: Longman Beijing Declaration (1995) Fourth World Conference on Women Declaration, Section 13 Boserup, E.(1970)Women’s Role in Economic Development, St. Martin’s Press, New York Buvinic, Mayra ( 1986) “Projects for women in the Third World: Explaining their Misbehaviour.” World Development, 14, No.

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(1987) Gender and Power: Society, the Person and Sexual Politics, Polity Press, Cambridge Deawn Angela(2018),CNN, https://edition.cnn.com, accessed on 18th September,2018 ECOCOC(1997) Gender Mainstreaming , Reports of the UN Secretary- General, United Nations Global Gender Gap Report(2017) World Economic Forum Hashemi, S. M., Schuler, S. R., and Riley, A. P. (1996): “Rural Credit Programs and Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh”, in World Development24 (4) 52 10.
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Muyoyeta, Lucy Mutumba(2004) Women, Gender and Development, Educating & Acting for a Better World Parpart Jane L., M. Patricia Connelly, and V. Eudine Barriteau (2000)Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development, International Development Research Centre Press Trust of India(2018)March,8https://www.business- standard.com accessed on 18th September,2018 Rathgeber, Eva M. (1988) WID, WAD, GAD: Trends in Research and Practice, The Journal of Developing Areas,Vol.
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489-502 Razavi, Shahrashoub.

Miller, Carol(1995) From WID to GAD: Conceptual Shifts in the Women and Development Discourse , Occasional Paper 1, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development United Nations Development Programme Tasli, Kaan(2007) A Conceptual Framework for Gender and Development Studies: From Welfare to Empowerment, OSFE Forum,32 Tinker, Irene (1990).

Persistent Inequalities: Women and World Development.
New York: Oxford University Press Visvanathan,Nalini(1997)Introduction to Part-1in Visvanathan, N., Duggan,L., Nisonoff,L.

And Wiegersma,N.

(eds.

)the Women, Gender and Development Reader, Zed Books,London and New Jersy  53 GENDER EQUALITY IN THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION - THE INDIAN CONTEXT Manasi Pradhan 1.0 INTRODUCTION The intensification of globalization of the Indian economy over the past two decades has dramatically influenced Indian social life, both economically and culturally.
It is time now to consolidate our theoretical understanding of globalization by moving towards more empirically based and tested assumptions of the effects and outcomes of the globalization process at the regional and local levels.

Prevailing attitudes towards gender equality under globalization are enumerated in the paper.
Globalization, conceived as an expansion of a neoliberal market economy is central to this discussion as market liberization and trade liberization have been the mainstays of the globalization process in India.

The notion of globalization is an amalgamation of social, cultural and economic outcomes that have resulted from an “opening-up” of the Indian economy to the global market.
It may be noted here that contemporary phases of globalization and economic liberization are considered as two sides of the same coin1, 2.

Globalization has and continues to have differential impacts on men and women.

Since the mid 1980’s, India has 54 pursued a policy of economic liberalization, which was a dramatic reversal of earlier policies of protecting domestic industrial capital.
It has been argued that the privatization of public sector enterprises, reduction in public sector investment and lower government expenditure on poverty eradication programmes have not served the interest of women.

Yet, the present day women themselves do not consider this situation to be detrimental to their lives.Instead they consider themselves to be more empowered compared to an earlier generation of women.
Moreover, despite increasing household inequalities they feel women’s equality has not been compromised.

This is largely due to their class position.

These notions have been shaped by colonial and post-colonial debates on the emancipation of women.

2.0 GENDER & GLOBALIZATION In order to understand twenty-first century globalization, the processes of both globalization and modernization need to be considered.

These processes have had complex and contradictory effects on women.
Modernization has changed gender relations as a result of women’s entry into the public sphere.

For some groups of women, modernization has reduced gender inequalities and enhanced educational and employment opportunities3.

However, the decreased reliance on their husbands and fathers and the accompanying rights have been endangered as a result of neoliberal globalization.

Women’s rights to education, gainful employment and health received a set back as a result of government cutbacks in these spheres.
Feminist engagements with globalization demonstrate a number of different perspectives and strategies for resistance.

Most of these analyses have originated from political economy approaches.

In recent years, feminist literature has been criticized for its neglect of post-colonial women’s movements and failure to recognize the ways in which Third World women are agents and activists.
Alternative positions have challenged 55 the view of the market as a natural and inevitable force and advocate imaginative ways women can play a role in shaping economies.

It has been demonstrated that the consequences can be both empowering and constraining.

For example, the transition to a market economy in China shows that women’s right to work and labour protection that were guaranteed earlier by the socialist state are now eroded.
At the same time, greater occupational choices have sprung up in women’s professional lives, enabling them to overcome the passive roles they previously occupied under a centrally planned distribution of employment4.

In view of the competing debates over the gendered aspects of globalization and liberalization, women’s denial of the negative impacts in their own lives has been examined.
In view of the overwhelming evidence of the negative impact of economic liberalization, it is found that women do not perceive themselves to be victims of neoliberal policies.

Instead, they emphasize their own sense of self-worth and progress in their everyday lives.

Despite these changes in the globalizing economies of Asia, capital has rarely challenged existing patriarchal traditions; rather it has harnessed them for its own benefit.
It is here that the intersections of globalization, gender and modernity assume their significance.

Recent theoretical insights on the discourses of modernity and female subjectivity in India suggest that women are assigned a sufficient measure of modernity to reinforce rather than challenge hegemonies of gender roles.
The contradictions between women’s perceptions of empowerment at the state level in India and the reality of the New Economic Policy (NEP) can be understood if we consider the ideologies that underpin the role of the state in relation to women’s employment.

Since the 1970’s, the promotion of women into the workforce by the state has been accompanied by ideologies that associate employment with female empowerment.
Regardless of their ability to implement real changes, notions of female empowerment are now part of 56 standard government vocabulary at both the national and state levels6.

The effects of liberalization on women and women’s perceptions of empowerment become even clearer if Global Intellectual Hegemony (GIH) is considered.
Between the 1990’s and early 2000, this hegemony has been let loose rampantly through modern technologies, particularly the global electronic media channels such as BBC, CNN and Star TV etc.5.

In the language of GIH, globalization is labeled as new, modern, scientific and result oriented8.

The GIH promotes consumerism and cut-throat individualism and works against collective action that could have aimed at eradicating social inequalities.
Thus, global hegemony constructs a world based on individual choice.

Relentless global advertising has propagated the idea that consumerism and individualism are all about emancipation and choice.While competing debates in India on the negative consequences and positive possibilities of the media highlight the complexities of what constitutes the “new woman” but they stop short of explaining how such images are received in the Indian context.
3.0 THE INDIAN CONTEXT The current economic reforms aim at liberalizing the economy, eradicating various bureaucratic regulations and controls that are said to have stifled growth.

In marked contrast to the post-independence developmental strategy of self- reliant economic growth and the rhetoric of socialism, the central strategy is to secure a greater share of the global market in industry, trade and services through increased productivity.
Under the earlier five-year plans, the government played an interventionist role in industrialization through the public sector, which assumed great power through licensing and regulatory mechanism.

The major concerns affecting women under the liberalization process include reduced employment opportunities in the formal sector.
57 The trade liberalization policies have attempted to integrate women into the global economy, particularly through employment in export processing industries and the expansion of export-processing zones.

However, women’s job security is considerably affected by the prohibition on unionization and decentralization through subcontracting.

On one hand, it is likely that the unorganized sector to grow due to lack of labour legislation, making it attractive for employers to recruit women.
On the other hand, in the agro-processing industry where women work in large numbers, the import of modern technology in firms that are to be taken over by multinational corporations will reduce employment in low skilled jobs.

Yet there does not seem to be any prospect of women being offered training and technical skills as education now is premised on user-pay principles, which limits the access of poor women.
The present governmental policies encourage displaced rural women workers to migrate to overcrowded urban areas.

Moves toward privatization and a market economy will weaken the already inadequate services for rural women.

The globalizing processes of market liberalization and structural adjustment programmes (SAP) may have a contradictory impact on women, especially when we explore the cultural terrain.
While new forms of inequality result from economic reforms, there may be other opportunities for greater independence.

By examining the relationships between market liberalization, women’s labour and gender ideology, it can be argued that women’s participation in the global economy and national labour force can serve to interrogate and modify gender relations and ideologies.
In light of democratization in gender relations within the Indian family, the effects of structural adjustment on women have not been as much of a burden as claimed by opponents.

Further, class differentials and cultural specificity are of paramount importance when considering how economic changes have shaped gender relations and people’s responses.
58 4.0 IMPACT OF IDEOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON GENDER Presently the decisive factors shaping the lives of girls and women within lower-middle-class families are access to education and a lessening of the restricted physical mobility of the past.

Women and men of all ages refer to the better opportunities for women in the present generation compared to that of the past.

However, improvements in the spheres of education and employment are regarded as being independent of economic reforms.
Public visibility of women and their participation in employment have occupied centre-stage in anti-colonial nationalistic discourses as well as in post-colonial developmental narratives of nation building in India.

Public discourse in the twentieth century, particularly the views of social reformers, centered on two opposing categorizations: labour force participation of poor women and widows and the employment of upper-class women in high-status professions.
While the former could be tolerated because it was an absolute necessity, the latter was not only desirable but also a moral obligation, a public duty.

For the rest, women’s entry into the workforce signaled a loss of respectability.

This was not only for the women themselves, but also meant a loss of familial status.

5.0 EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN (The 4 E’s) The responses of most men and women normally reveal the common theme of women’s advancement.
For men, it is recognition of improvement and a sense of pride that “my” wife goes out to work or “my” daughter is doing well in her studies and the hope that she will be well placed in a good job in future.

These aspects are subtly linked to ideologies of consumerism.

For women, it is renewed confidence and a sense that paid work brings autonomy.
One of the crucial markers of 59 emerging class identity among this fraction of the middle class is the desire for the public visibility of women and their relative freedom to pursue careers.

Certain gender constructs are used to distance themselves from the poor.

While the loosening restrictions on physical mobility are seen as a hallmark of modernity, any attempt to restrict women’s access to education constitute proof of “backwardness”.
From the life histories of older women, it is found that a few decades earlier,the same group distinguished itself by confining women within the household as a mark of respectability in opposition to the elite women who were notably prominent in the public arena.

Many women face tension and hardships when they first enter the workforce.
Lodged between the conflicting ideologies of women’s work in the public domain, women have continually struggled with the dichotomous messages and have attempted to reconcile with them in their daily lives7.

Parents frequently provide positive encouragement to girls to study so that a good education would better equip them to enter the workforce.

Such expectations were previously absent among lower-middle-class families.
Nowadays, not only in women’s education a source of pride for parents, it also stands as a safety net: an insurance against a daughter’s failed marriage or widowhood.

In case of the latter, there are provisions for state-sector employees to take over their husbands’ posts provided they are suitably qualified: today many of our widows are in this position9.

In India, women normally depend on somebody for their livelihood and hence, independence in economic aspects are imperative for women’s development.
This will free women from their position of slavery.

The idea that employment is a road to economic independence and rejection of the notion that women only work due to economic hardship exemplify the views of young women today.

However, even though the comment asserts that it was acceptable for girls to take up any occupation no matter how insignificant, clearly in practice 60 this was not the case.

Many elite women were earlier confined to a restricted range of jobs.
In the past, despite the widespread positive appraisal of women’s employment by people, in reality there was a narrow range of work options available to women.

However, the crucial difference between an earlier generation and the contemporary situation for lower-middle-class women is the firm belief that this class fraction is taking the lead in defying the conventional stereo-typical jobs that are open to women and entering these occupations10.
Women’s empowerment begins with conscious perceptions about herself and her rights, her capabilities and her potentials.

It refers to self-confidence that allows her to take important decisions independently.

Now a days, it is pretty common to find women entering the fields of medicine, engineering, management, bureaucracy, academics,business, banking& finance, sports etc.

Even women have started enrolling in the police and defence forces in India,which were earlier considered an exclusive male bastion.
Today, eminent Indian women have risen to top positions in the Industry across the globe.

Indira Nooyi became the CEO of PepsiCo, USA.

Brinda Kochchar is the CEO of ICICI Bank, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw heads Biocon India Limited, Shahnaz Hussain heads herbal beauty products company Shahnaz Hussain Herbal International Limited, only to name a few of the Indian role models.
Further, with support and thrust from the Ministries of Women & Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development, the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” (BBBP) scheme has been launched on 22nd January, 2015 with a 4 year tenure.

This scheme focuses on challenging mindsets and deep-rooted patriarchy in the societal system, advancing education of the girl child: the focus is on issues of women empowerment on a life cycle continum.
61 CONCLUSION The popular saying” Next to God, we are indebted to women, first for life itself and then for making it worth living”, very well justifies that the masculine sex cannot stand all alone by itself without the spinal support of a woman.

Swami Vivekananda has rightly pointed out that a bird cannot fly with one wing.

Similarly, society cannot progress with the help of men only.

Therefore, the joint contributions of both men and women are essential for social progress and economic prosperity.
According to census data, the child gender ratio (0 - 6 Years) in India was 927 girls per 1000 boys in 2001 which dropped to 918 girls per 1000 boys in 2011.

With respect to child gender ratio, India is ranked 41st among 195 countries of the world as per UNICEF report of 2012.

Half of the world’s population is females.

They are doing two-third of work of the total work in the world but receive only one-tenth of the world’s total income.
Globalization of the Indian economy has dramatically expanded the middle class base, which in turn has led to greater education, employment opportunities, economic independence and empowerment of women Particularly, in the Indian context, the positive and negative roles of globalization, modernization and liberalization on gender inequality have been discussed.
It has been shown how the earlier complex patriarchal norms & myths have been shattered leading to women’s greater empowerment, employment and economic independence through proper education and skill development.

It is observed that in this era of rapid globalization, gender inequality particularly with respect to education, employment, economic independence and empowerment is gradually showing a declining trend.
If we really want to see India in the era of liberalization 62 and globalization, which is economically enriched, politically equipped, socially developed and culturally distinguished, then definitely we have to boost women unstinted support in all their respective spheres of activity.
Late President of India and eminent philosopher & educationist Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan once said that “the progress of our land towards our goal of democratic socialism cannot be achieved without the active participation of our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters.” References : 1.

2.

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Arora, Dolly, (1999), Structural adjustment programs and gender concerns in India, Journal of Contemporary Asia 29 (1): pp.328-361.
Basu, Amrita, (1995), The challenge of local feminisms; Women’s movements in a global perspective, Oxford, UK: Westview.

Basu, Rumki, (1996), New economic policies and social welfare programmes in India, Social Action 46 (3); pp.262-277.

Bergeron, Suzaanne, (2001), Political economy discourse of globalization and feminist politics.

Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 26(4); pp.983-1006.
Chakravarti, Uma, (2000), State, market and freedom of expression: Women and the electronic media, Economic and Political Weekly29 April, pp.12-17.

Dewan, Ritu, (1999), Gender implications of the “new” economic policy: A conceptual overview, Women’s Studies International Forum 22 (4); pp.425-429.

Ghosh, Ratna, (1996), Economic Liberalization and its impact on women and women’s education, Alberta Journal of Education 42 (2); pp.115-120.
Gosovic, Branislav, (2000), Global intellectual hegemony and the international development agenda, International Social Science Journal 15 (4); pp.447-456.

Mohanty, Manoranjan, (1995), On the concept of empowerment, Indian Journal of Social Science 8 (4); pp.333-338.

Stewart, Frances and A. Berry, (1999), Globalization, liberalization and inequality: Expectations and experience.

In Inequality, globalization and world politics, edited by A. Hurrel and Ngaire Woods, Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press.
63 EMPOWERING WOMEN: INITIATIVES AND MEASURES Saroj Kumar Dash Empowerment is a process which creates awareness and capacity building, leading to greater participation in decision making.

In case of Women empowerment, which has become a global issue, it determines the status of women and discussion on women’s right is now at the forefront of formal and informal campaigns worldwide.

Empowerment has many dimensions.


It enables women to realize their identity, power and potentialities, making them aware of their rights and opportunities available to them.

Empowerment is consonant with the idea, “To enable”.

It is a process which enables individuals and groups to change the balance, the balance of power by way of knowledge, knowhow and experience.

This strengthens their capacity and self reliance.


According to the United Nations, women’s empowerment mainly has five components:  Generating women’s sense of self-worth;  Women’s right to have and to determine their choices;  Women’s right to have access to equal opportunities and all kinds of resources; 64  Women’s right to have the power to regulate and control their own lives, within and outside the home; and  Women’s ability to contribute in creating a more just social and economic order.
Thus women empowerment may be summed up as a process which enables women to develop their confidence and increase their inner strength and self reliance to decide and determine their choices in life.

It is a process which enables women to have access and control of various factors necessary for their economic independence, political participation and social development.
It believes in adequate and active participation of women in the mainstream of National development as well as in the process of nation building activities.

It also believes in awareness generation, capacity building and skill development and assigning equal or greater duties and responsibilities by men in favour of women so as to ensure a more harmonious and sustainable development of Society.
The spirit of true empowerment of women comprises the following characteristics:-        Assertiveness Courage Economic independence Self reliance Taking decisions about their age of marriage, education of children and property rights.

Participation in political activities.

Inculcating awareness among family members and neighbours about the importance of health and hygiene and conservation of natural resources.

 Having voice in family size.


65    Engaging in income generating activities as well as developing a saving habit to meet various challenges.

Autonomy in sharing their views with family & also in larger forums.

Managing time and financial resources independently.

India’s Constitution makers and our founding fathers were determined to provide equal rights to both women and men.

The Constitution of India is one of the finest equality documents in the world.
It has provisions for securing equality in general, and gender equality in particular.

Various articles in the Constitution safeguard women’s rights by putting them at par with men socially, politically and economically.

The Preamble to the Constitution of India assures justice, social, economic and political; equality of status and opportunity and dignity to the individual.

Thus it treats both men and women as equal.


The policy of women empowerment is well entrenched in the Fundamental Rights enshrined in our Constitution.

Some Articles that provide such equality are mentioned below.

    Article 14 ensures to women the right to equality.

Article 15(1) specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.

Article 15(3) empowers the State to take affirmative action in favour of women.
Article 16 provides for equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office.

These rights being fundamental rights are justiciable in court and the Government is obliged to follow the same.

Further, Directive principles of State Policy also contain important provisions regarding women empowerment and it is 66 the duty of the government to apply these principles while making laws or formulating any policy.
Though these are not justiciable in the Court but they are essential for governance nonetheless.

Some of them are:    Article 39 (a) provides that the State to direct its policy towards securing for men and women equally the right to an adequate means of livelihood.

Article 39 (d) mandates equal pay for equal work for both men and women.

Article 42 provides that the State to make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
Fundamental duties are enshrined in Part IV-A of the Constitution and are positive duties for the people of India to follow.

It also contains duties relevant to women’s rights: Article 51 (A) (e) expects from the citizen of the country to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
Through 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment of 1993, very important political rights have been given to women which are a landmark in the direction of women empowerment in India.

With this amendment, women were given 33.33 percent reservation in seats at different levels of elections in local governance both at Rural & Urban bodies which has now been increased to 50%.
Thus, it can be seen that these Constitutional provisions are very empowering for women and the State is duty bound to apply these principles in taking policy decisions as well as in enacting laws.

Besides 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, some specific laws which were enacted by the Parliament in 67 order to fulfil the Constitutional obligation of Women empowerment are as follows:- 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961.


The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

The Medical termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.

The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987.

The Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention & Protection) Act, 2013.
These Acts not only provide specific legal rights to women but also give them a sense of security and empowerment.
Added to these empowering Acts, National Policy for Women (2016) envisages “Creation of a Society in which women attain their full potential in all spheres of life & influence the Process of Social Change” The policy has listed seven priority areas namely; (1) Health; including food security and nutrition; (2) Education; (3) Economy; (4) Governance and Decision Making; (5) Violence against Women; (6) Enabling Environment and (7) Environment and Climate Change.
As regards International Commitments of India to Women Empowerment, India is a party to various International conventions and treaties which are committed to secure equal rights of women.

One of the most important among them is the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), ratified by India in 1993.
68 Other important International instruments for women empowerment are: The Mexico Plan of Action (1975), the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (1985), the Beijing Declaration as well as the Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcome Document adopted by the UNGA Session on Gender Equality and Development & Peace for the 21st century.

All these have been whole-heartedly endorsed by India for appropriate follow up actions at both State and Union Government level.
In spite of the crusades by the Social Reformers & activists and various social challenges to restore honour and dignity to women, attitudinal disparities still haunt our masses.

Despite pronounced social development and technological advancement in the 20th century across the globe, women still continue to be victims of exploitation, superstition, illiteracy and social abuse and atrocities.
With best efforts by the Indian Constitution & International commitments for equal rights and privileges for women to improve the status in society, majority of women are still unable to enjoy the rights and opportunities guaranteed to them.

We have not yet succeeded in framing the required norms to enable them to fulfil the multiple roles that they are expected to play in our society.

The existing constitutional provisions are neither enough nor adequately practised.
Further these various national and International commitments, laws and policies notwithstanding women’s situation in reality have still not improved satisfactorily.

Varied problems related to women still subsist; female infanticide is growing, dowry is still prevalent, domestic violence against women is practised; sexual harassment at workplace and other heinous sex crimes against women are on the rise.
Though, economic and social conditions of women have improved in a significant way the change is especially visible only in metro cities or in urban areas; the situation has not improved much in semi-urban areas and villages.

69 Although, various legislations along with programmes and policies in post independent India have been formulated to protect the interests of women, we still have a long way to go to achieve the goals of women empowerment.
While introspecting on Empowerment of women in India, it can be concluded that empowerment flows from the power centres.

The Patriarchal organization is the root cause of gender discrimination, as women are assigned lower positions in this hierarchy.

The discrimination against women is not the only discrimination prevalent in Indian society.

Gender discrimination exists alongside caste discrimination, discrimination against the poor and the girl child.
The basic problem is that the Indian social setup is hierarchical.

There is hierarchy based on caste, gender, age, wealth etc.

The relationship between any two individuals is not of equals but superior - subordinate (privileged - discriminated) be it husband- wife, parents - son, upper castes - lower castes.

Ensuring women empowerment is a subset of a bigger movement to end discrimination and bring equality.
To end this, we need to bring attitudinal change in ourselves and raise awareness in larger platforms and forums of political decision making.

Further, Women Empowerment has been considered an integral component of all the Sustainable Livelihood Programmes.

Unless and until, a well-defined strategy is not worked out, women empowerment will remain more as a theoretical prognostication instead of a working solution.
However a Gender Responsive Strategy to Women Empowerment as given below may be considered for creating an enabling environment for a better world, based on the principle of social justice and economic development for attaining gender responsive governance and development.
70 Gender Responsive Strategy for Women Empowerment          Fighting drudgery to facilitate participation in economic development Identification of practical gender needs and addressing them Participation & Involvement in decision making process Capacity building in technical skills, information sharing and leadership development Formation of SHGs for solidarity, awareness and motivation, addressing common problems and micro-financing Enhancing abilities to contribute to family income, access to credit and assets and reduce economic dependence through Micro Credit and Micro Enterprise Adaptive approaches to address the problems and encourage participatory development.
Convergence strategy for holistic development of girl child.

Gender vigilance to ensure women’s participation on all fronts and access to benefits of welfare and safety-net programmes, entrepreneurship and activities of 3-tier Rural Local Bodies and Urban Local Bodies.

To ensure fast track Women Empowerment, Education, Strong IEC & Awareness, Better Health Provisions, Political & Economic Empowerment are needed to accelerate the pace of Empowerment.
These areas have been much debated and discussed in the recently held Global Entrepreneurship Summit – 2017 in Hyderabad.

The theme of “Women First, Prosperity for All” of Global Entrepreneurship Summit will be better 71 realized in India when adequate provisions are made in different programmes and policies of the Government in empowering women in their socio political life.
As regards to educating the girls for better future and to provide an empowered peer group, there are many reforms and strategies articulated by the Government towards the betterment of women education in India.
They are namely “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”, “Sakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy”, “Right to Education (RTE)”, “Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya”, “National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level”, “Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan”, “Dhanlakshmi Scheme”, “Sabala – Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls”.
Similarly various State Governments have also pursuing the agenda of Women Empowerments by introducing local-led & culturally oriented Economic and Social Welfare Programmes.

In case of Odisha, many welfare programmes like “MAMATA”, “Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana”, “Biju Sishu Surakhya Yojana”, “Mission Shakti” etc are in action for addressing various challenges encountered in the areas of maternal & child mortality, maternal care, girl children education etc.
Besides above, Odisha Government has empowered women mass by enacting Odisha State Policy for Girls & Women 2014.

This policy has provisioned long term directive to Government Plan & Actions for facilitating a life of dignity for girls and women in the state & allow them to grow as equal partners in the development process.

All these schemes are being implemented with missionary zeal, for realising the goal of universal education and to have better Empowered Community.
The basket of services for health of all women, with special focus on rural areas, is aimed for providing affordable and accessible health services, to advance the agenda of universal health coverage in our country in tune with the Sustainable Development Goal - 2030.
Union Government have many interventions and initiatives such as “Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakrama (RKSK)”, “Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic (AFHC)”, “Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)”, “Janani Surakshya Yojana (JSY)”, “Janani Sishu 72 Surakshya Karyakram (JSSK)” & “Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana) (PMMVY)” which will create an enabling environment for achieving better standard of living for women.
In addition to formal education and better health environment, Indian women need to be trained in new skills and latest digital tools so as to enable them to migrate from agriculture to more diversified income generating activities and professional occupations.
To unlock women’s full potential in the economic field, “Deen Dayal Upadhya Antodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY – NRLM) is the flagship programme of the Government to empower poor rural women through the network of “Self Help Groups” (SHGs).

The “Ajeevika Skill Development Programme” (ASDP) is another sub-scheme under NRLM which gives young women from the poor communities an opportunity to upgrade their skills and enter the skilled work force in growing sectors of the economy.
Further digital marketing portal Mahila e-Haat has been launched for the women entrepreneur for the promotion of marketing of SHG products.
The schemes like “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme” (MGNREGA), “National Rural Livelihood Mission” (NRLM), “Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana” (PMAY), “Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana” (PMUY), Mahila Police Volunteer, Universalization Women Help Line, One Stop Centre and Swadhar Greh have played a critical role in bringing about a holistic empowerment of rural women.
Now is the time to ensure that the national decision - makers consistently prioritize the cause of girls and women – whether in health, environment or education policies.

By enabling their potential to impact and improve the economic, political and environmental solutions of our Nation, then will be improving women’s position in Society.

There is need for locally led advocacy campaigns that will keep girls and women at the centre of decision making in the realm of SDG era.
Interestingly India has worked to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in to key government schemes at the central and state level.

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), a Government think tank, has been tasked to oversee SDG implementation.
The cooperation 73 & convergence of all critical actors namely Union & State Governments and their various departments will fruitfully take Women Empowerment to a new height as envisaged under SDG-2030 In retrospect, it can be said that women in India, through their own unrelenting efforts and with the help of Constitutional and other legal provisions, and also with the aid of Government’s various welfare schemes, are trying to find their own place under the sun.
It is a welcome sign that their participation in employment in government as well as private sectors, in socio-political activities of the nation and also their presence at the highest decision making bodies is improving day by day.

However, we are still far behind in achieving the equality and justice which the Preamble of our Constitution envisages.

As long as women are not empowered enough to occupy their rightful place, it is not possible for a nation to progress in the right direction.
In this context it is pertinent to remember what Swami Vivekananda has said, “That nation which doesn’t respect women will never become great now and nor will ever in future” and let us work and strive hard in empowering women to the maximum in making India – A Great Nation.

Reference: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Batliwala, S. (1964).

The Meaning of Women’s Empowerment: New Concepts from Action.

In Sen, G.; Germain, M. And Chen, L.C.

(eds.)

Population Policies Reconsidered – Health Empowerment and Rights.
New York : Harvard University Press.

Hasnain, N. (2004).

Indian Society and Culture.

New Delhi : Jawahar Publishers and Distributors.

Kar, P. K. (2000).

Indian Society.

Cuttack: Kalyani Publishers.

The Monthly Journal – Kurukshetra – Ministry of Rural Development, Vol.

66 No.
66 No.

3 Pages 76, January 2018  74 FROM DOLE TO DIGNITY : THE PARADIGM SHIFT IN WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT Kalyani Sarangi There is a saying, “If you judge a community or a country; judge by its women or P.O.W.” Let us begin the discussion with a recently happened incident of a Retd.
Army personnel killing his wife, cutting her body into small pieces and packing them in tiffin boxes not only questioned law and order situations of the city but also indicates the safety of women in their sweet homes amidst their honey dears.

The most surprising thing about the person is that still he claims ‘I love my wife.’ What an irony?

Did anyone love someone so much that he killed her?

This is not a single story.

There are number of stories depicting small girl children to young and aged women.
Neither a seven month baby girl nor a seventy year old lady is safe now.

All these instances clearly indicate that somewhere and somehow we have gone wrong.

Therefore, there is a growing demand to look at these issues afresh, evaluate the challenges and find out some way out.
Introduction Women, the beautiful creation of God and the better half of men and men himself are the two basic components of our human society and constitute almost half (48.18% according to 2011 census) of the total population in India.

The status of women keeps changing as the time passes by and with reference to her position in the network of social role structures, 75 privileges, rights and duties both in her individual life and social life.
It would not be wise to appraise her status by comparing the different historical stages of development because the time and clime of one stage is different from the time and clime of another.

Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the status of women in the various ages to see her real position today.
Status of Women in different ages Whenever the present women walked on the corridor of time and looked back, they were mesmerized by seeing the high esteem and high position given to the women of the Vedic society.

Women were treated at par with men.

They were given education and were promoted to take active participation in assemblies, intellectual deliberations and spiritual discourses.
They had the freedom to choose their life partners through ‘Swayamvara’ and the system of widow remarriage was accepted.

Sati and purdah system were never found in the Vedic period.

Names like Gargi, Maitryi, Alapa came into prominence and addressed with reverence.

Ghosha, Lopamudra, Viswavara etc.

ranked to the status of risis.


But the question of Nachiketa to Yama (Katha Upanisad): “Shall we be happy with maidens, horses, wealth, royalty, when we see thee, O Death?”1 indicates women as an object of enjoyment though some form of equality was there.

Epic age may be treated as a golden age in terms of women freedom and education.

She took pride as the advisor to men on social and religious issues.
But the instances of Purusottama Ram leaving his wife in the deep forest at the time of her advanced stage of pregnancy and Yudhistira, the crusader of Justice, betting his wife(not only his alone) in the game of dice raised the eyebrows of sociologists, social activists, ethicists and many other thinkers.

These instances might have happened because of some demanding social exigencies.

But what’s about the dignity of women?

How can she be used and abused just like any other commodity?
Who 76 has given them the right/consent to treat women like this?

These are some of the mind boggling questions which require brainstorming sessions to decide future course of actions for future women.

Further, the status of women gradually declined in the post Vedic age.

And to add fuel to fire the Manu Smiriti and Dharma Shastras made women totally inferior and dependent on men.
Their basic rights and freedom of movement, expression, education and participation are denied so much so that they were almost confined to the four walls of their houses engaged only as care providers to the young, old and sick.

Purdah system, Sati system, Child marriage, Polygamy was introduced to the social systems.

Widow re-marriage was discouraged.


On the one hand, Manu advocated that ‘Yatrah naryastu pujyante tatrah ramante devattah’ and on the other hand certain provisions in the Manu Smiriti itself that was against the interests of women.

Jainism moved one step ahead in maintaining that “Women cannot obtain liberation without being born as men in next life.”2where as Buddhism maintained some form of liberal attitudes towards them.

Medieval period was also not free from all these evil practices.
These practices got their momentum along with other problems for women by the repeated invasions of invaders.

The safety of women particularly Hindu was challenged.

No more women were won by the magical wand of love rather they were conquered by force.

Many battles were fought and many lives were laid down.

Many evil practices related to women came into force and women were looked down upon during this period.

The same practice continued when the British rule was established in the country.
However, the situation underwent some change during the fifteenth century.

The saints like Chaitnya, Nanak, Kabir, Ramanujacharya and others of the Bhakti Movement stood for the right of women.

As a result, this movement provided religious and social 77 freedom to some extent to women but never of economic freedom.

Every malady has a remedy, be it physical or psychophysical.

Time is the best poise to solve all issues.


There has been a growing demand from all quarters of the society to develop the status and position of women.

In the language of Swami Vivekananda, “It is impossible to think about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved.

It is impossible for a bird to fly on only one wing.

There is no hope for that family or country where there is no estimation of women, where they live in sadness.
For this reason, they have to be raised first.”3 There are sea change differences between the women of the pre independence era and that of the post independent period.

In the pre independence era, the ratio between male and female was normal (945 female per 1000 males).

Now, due to the intervention of technology the sex ratio is changed so drastically that it raised alarming situations in some of the states (Hariyana) of India.
Tradition gives preference for the male child and technology now does not allow a girl child to flourish.

When our country became independent, the participation of women nationalists was widely acknowledged.

When the Indian Constitution was formulated, it granted equal rights to women, considering them legal citizens of the country and egalitarian approach is adopted in terms of freedom and opportunity.
From statesmen to politicians, intellectuals, educationists, social activists to common men-everyone desires and works for the upliftment of women.

As a result, many programmes and policies, many discussions and debates, many seminars and workshops are organized, initiated and implemented from the grass root level to high level both by the govt.

and non-govt.

organizations.


Women politicians are now occupying the positions of President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Speakers; women became CEOs of different public and private sectors, pilots of different fighter planes, heads of different institutes and so 78 on.

The present women entered into the deep sea and occupied the space too.

The social change that refers to the alternative behavioral attitudes towards women makes them more empowered and more liberalized in all walks of life.
We all know that change is the inexorable law of nature.

The slow and steady pace of social change entangled women from the social shackles and no more they are treated as ‘comfort women’.

The situations are completely changed.

No more she is the care providers only; she becomes Mr. moms too (earning for the family).

This is simply one sided picture of the reality.

The other side is as dark as it was before.

One side is full of promising and the other side is completely bleak.
The stark reality is that after being educated, after being working and earnings for the family, her freedom and independence are questioned.

She earns but she is not allowed to spend.

She is said to be free but her freedom is determined by the power, position and status of either the father or the husband.

Simply providing them some form of material comforts like gold, vehicles etc and financial facilities do not mean that they are free or empowered.
Can a woman move freely without any hesitation at the dead of the night if she has the emergency to do so?

Atrocities on women is so rampant that every nook and corner of the society, there is girls and women trafficking (in lakhs every year), rape, murder, sexual harassment, dowry death which is a mockery to all the development that has taken place.

Therefore, it’s time to be reflective to the key factors of social change.

Though there are many, I chose to concentrate only on two, i.e.
education and media.

Education Education is said to be the backbone of a society.

It is acknowledged as the most powerful means of empowering women and protecting them from all forms of violation of human rights.

By education, Gandhi means “an all-round drawing of the best in child and man in body, mind and spirit.”4 Further, an African Proverb says that “If you educate a man, 79 you educate an individual.
But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”.5 Dr, Ambedkar was the champion of the cause of women.

He was convinced that for social justice and progress of the nation it was essential that conditions of women should be improved a lot.

He stood for the economic equality of women and pleaded for the spread of women education.

Both Govt.

and non-govt.

organizations have taken a number of measures to ensure the rate of growth of women literacy rate.

No doubt, there is a stiff rise.


Kerala topped the list according to 2011 census with 91.98%.Along with this; it also occupied very good position regarding violence and suicide rates.

Women are more vulnerable to these two evils.

Many schemes and many yojanas are carried out from the time of independence to till date only to treat them equally.

To some extent we are successful.

We may no more in need of Fakir Mohan Senapati’s character of “Rebati” to write a novel.

We are not free from them either.


Unfortunately, women are subjected to violence and atrocities in a very sophisticated and refined way.

The present central Govt.

introduced different schemes like Beti padhao, desh badhao, Sukanya Samrudhi Yojana, facilities and scholarships for single girl child etc.

Odisha state policy for girls and womens 2014 is a beacon light to address the challenges faced by a girl child and women.

The state govt.

schemes are also milestones for the development of women.
Despite making strides in development sector, India lags behind on gender equality.

It ranks 131 of 188 countries on the U.N. Development Program’s Gender Inequality Index.

Female feticides and dowry deaths are happening though mothers and mother-in-laws are well educated.
A sociologist named Deepa Narayana revealed that India’s young, educated, modern women still encounter gender inequality and often internalize conservative attitudes like ‘sacrifice’, ‘giving’ or ‘meeting everyone else’s needs selflessly’.

After being educated and having professional excellence, she wants 80 her man to be more educated and more earning in comparison to her.

Why this inferior attitude?


Media Media, the fourth pillar of Indian democracy, plays a very crucial and instrumental role in bringing social change from an altruistic standpoint.

Do media have the right to broadcast anything and everything?

Was it right that BBC, a reputed broadcasting channel, broadcasted the views of the juvenile involved in Nirbhaya case which was derogatory at its first glance?

Media has to play a cohesive role in bridging the gap between male and female inequality.
Instead of depicting women as helpless, dependent and inferior, it has to portray them as superwomen by citing successful stories of their successes and achievements.

Making of women centred films are not sufficient enough rather casting couch and its side effects has to be completely curtailed.
Media, in general, has to take a pro-active role in creating awareness among the mass about the safety and importance of girl child, trying to ward off the laxman rekha between male and female and empowering the female mass about the available facilities and legal provisions for their safeguard in personal and professional fields.

CONCLUSION If we give a cursory look to the whole issues, we conclude that the actual enemy of a woman is not a man rather than another woman.
The mother, the woman who carries the girl child in her womb gives implicit or explicit consent to kill her either before or after.

The practice of dowry was as common as ever.

Differences in modalities are experienced only, earlier it was in the form of goods and now it is in the form of papers.

The Dowry Prohibition Act was passed in the year 1961 with promising severe punishment, but the conviction rate of crime is very low.
Earlier, brides were burnt and they sustained to 81 some extent but now, they are burnt so systematically that their possibility of survival is completely ruled out.

Wife swiping is the order of the day as if one is swiping his master cards.

Women are still exploited and sexually harassed even after seventy-one years of independence.

No arena has left which is not conquered by Indian women but in reality they have to still travel a long way.
The suffering she was undergoing in the past and the suffering she is undergoing now remains same.

The only difference is regarding to their nature, intensity and modus operandi.

A question may crop up in our mind that whether solutions of this problem are there or not.

The solution is there, therefore, the problem is there.

The problem does not lie in the external world; it is in our psyche.

It is our own creations only.

.


We have to move ahead with a promise to end all forms of discrimination against girls and women with assertive attitudes.

1.

There should be a shift in our attitudes.

Mothers should not make any distinction between a baby boy and a baby girl.

No doubt, both of them are different physically.


The demand for gender equality does not mean that the female has to do the same labour equal to her male counterpart; rather gender equality is to be understood in terms of mental/cerebral equality and equality in terms of availing opportunities.
Further, equality of sexes is strongly backed by the constitution through articles 14, 15 and 16.The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles.

“Dr.

Ambedkar laid down the foundation of social justice and there can be no social justice without gender equality.”6 As “Charity begins at home”, similarly we have to begin from our home with our own women folk with a changed mindset.
Gradually, we extend it to our neighbour, to our community, country and to the whole world.

The individual effort will be shaped, encouraged and implemented by the 82 Govt.

through different schemes and projects.

2.

Each case of pregnancy (be it rural/urban) has to be registered.

Illegal abortion cases are to be scrutinized strictly.

Here, the doctors play a pivotal role.

Further, a time bound interval monitoring system has to be vigilant and ensure the safety birth of the girl child.
Every pregnant woman should be aware of the schemes like Mamata Yojana, Kanya Suraksha Yojana, Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana etc.

Girl foeticide becomes a common social evil across India.

3.

Odisha is not an exception to this.

Districts like Nayagarh, Anugul, Dhenkanal, etc.

and coastal areas like Puri, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar topped the list besides the high rate of literacy.
It is committed in the rural areas out of ignorance where as it is a practice in urban areas because of the preferential treatment of male child over the female one.

Surprisingly, this is not the practice in the tribal community.

The birth of a girl child in their community is treated as auspicious because she brings wealth (bride purchase), happiness (very presence of her) and prosperity.

She is compared with a jewel (Kanya Ratna).


The value of a girl child is to be told through different sessions by the counselors to would be parents and the doctors should maintain the confidentiality of not disclosing the sex of the fetus.

Those who are promoting such heinous acts should be given exemplary punishments and should be heavily penalized.

The Govt.

scheme of “Education for All” includes 4. education for both male and female.
Male has to be educated so that he will have respect for the women.

Education, as an element of change, brings out her potentiality into actuality, makes her more competitive oriented, opens up ample of opportunities for her economic independence and thereby make her more empowered.

It not only brings her individual excellence but also helps the society to grow into par excellence.

5.
5.

‘Zero tolerance’ attitude should be developed by women 83 to all forms of sexual harassment in private spheres and working places.

Sexual harassment cell has to be formulated and fully activated in each and every institute; be it private or public.

The issue is to be settled in a fast track court because justice delayed means justice denied.

Women should possess the moral courage to call a spade as a spade.

The present state Govt.


has adopted the State Policy 6. for Girls & Women, 2014 which is a beacon light to address the issues and challenges faced by girls and women of the state.

The aim of this policy is to end all forms of discrimination against girls and women across Odisha.

It ensures a better life from the time of cradle to the matured and responsible decision making participant.

Everyone should be apprised of the benefit of the policy.

7.
7.

The individual instances of male supporting and encouraging the female have to be recognized and rewarded to the extent that it will affect the collective psyche.

Above all, her gait up, her behavior, the language she uses and the way she articulates herself will never demand but command respects for her.

With the right attitude and right ideation, a new vista will open up where no gender distinction, no inequality prevails.
Both men and women will not oppose to each other rather support each other with love, care, concern and respect for a better and brighter tomorrow.

Therefore, it is time not to judge but to act.

Reference 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Radhakrishnan , Indian Philosophy, Vol-1, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., New York, 1966, Pg.277 Sharma.

C. D., A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarasidass Publishers, New Delhi, 2009, Pg.
68 Quotes on Education, Internet Lal, B. K., Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarasidass Publishers, New Delhi, 2010, Pg.

153 Quotes on Education, Internet Dhanvijay, Vaishai, “Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Efforts For Women Empowerment And Present Status Of Women In Society”, Electronic International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (EIIRJ), (Bi-Monthly), 84 Vol-1, Issue-II, April, 2012,Pg.16  GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING IN ODISHA – A CLOSE LOOK Sujata Pati Introduction: Gender issues have taken the centre stage in development of most of the countries including India.
In fact, empowerment of women in order to reduce gender inequalities is the major concern of the planners and policy makers of our country.

In the decade of 1960’s, the policy of the government aimed at the welfare of women.

In 1970’s there was a shift from welfare, to development of women.

During 1980’s and onwards, the shift took place from development of women to empowerment of women.
Despite all the development measures and the Constitutional legal guarantees, women have lagged behind men in many sectors.

There still exist gaps and inconsistencies in the march of women towards equality.

Gender inequality has its adverse impact on development goals which leads to reduction in economic growth.

The way Government budgets allocate resources, has the potential to transform these gender inequalities.
Gender Budgeting has been recognised as a tool with potential to directly promote women’s development and empowerment through allocation of resources for women oriented programmes and schemes.

Gender Budgeting refers 85 to the process of planning, executing, monitoring, analysing the budget through a gender lens.

It is a powerful tool for achieving gender mainstreaming so as to ensure that benefits of development reach women as much as men.
Gender budgeting at the national level was first introduced in Budget 2005-06.

The rationale for gender budgeting arises from recognition of the fact that budgets impact men and women differently through the pattern of resource allocation.

Women, constitute 48% of India’s population and about 49% in case of Odisha, but they lag behind men on many social indicators like health, education, economic opportunities, etc.
Hence, there is a need for special attention in view of their vulnerability and lack of access to resources.

The way Government budgets allocate resources, has the potential to transform these gender inequalities.

In view of this, Gender Budgeting, is a tool for achieving gender mainstreaming.

Accordingly, Government of India on the basis of the information furnished by different Ministries/Departments, has been preparing the Gender Budget Statements from 2005-06 onwards, in two parts.
Part A details schemes in which 100% provision is for women, Part B reflects schemes where the allocations for women constitute at least 30% of the provision.

The State Government have started preparation of a special statement on gender budgeting depicting the magnitude of budget allocations for various schemes/programmes that are substantially benefiting women, along with budget documents.

This is in line with the decision made by Government of India.
It is to be noted that the initiative on Gender Responsive Budgeting aims at categorization of specific schemes/ programmes in the budget with a direct focus on women and girls specific schemes/ programmes which are stated to have 86 components on women and the exact budget shares of these components.

Gender Responsive Budgeting is to analyze how effectively Government policies, programmes and budgetary allocations respond to the needs and concerns of the females.
Gender Budgeting Cell of Women and Child Development Department is to co-ordinate with all the Administrative Departments for preparation of the information in order to ensure that a special Supplement entitled “Gender Budget Document” is prepared by the State Government and sent to the Finance Department for bringing out the consolidated Gender Budget Statement of the State Government (Both in Part-A and Part-B) in the expanded form of the Odisha Budget at a Glance.The State Government started preparing Gender Budget Statement in Budget 2012-13.
During the initial years, the State Government had been preparing the Gender Budget Statement only for 100 per cent women-centric schemes.

However, the Gender Budget Statement was brought out both in Part-A (schemes in which 100% provision is for women) and Part-B (where the allocations for women constitute at least 30% of the provision) during the year 2016-17.

Rationale The Constitution of India not only provides equal rights and privileges for women and men, but also makes special provision for women.
A series of social legislations have been enacted from time to time for raising the status of women in the country.

The Five Year Plans have consistently placed special emphasis on providing minimum health facilities integrated with family welfare and nutrition for women and children, acceleration of women’s education, their increase in the labour force and welfare services for women in need.
87 Objectives of the Study Objective of this study are as below:     Analysing the gender budget statements for the financial years 2015-16 to 2016-17,2017-18 and 2018-19 Analysing the nature & extent of fund allocation for the departments featuring in part A of statement 20, under the 100% & 30% women centric schemes , and total fund allocation Understanding the problems of different departments regarding implementation of the gender budget Finding the gender gaps from the outlay made in annual budgets for various schemes and programs of different departments Limitations of the study The study is based only on the budget document presented by Finance Department of Govt.
of Odisha.

As it is difficult to have quantitative assessment of women beneficiaries under Part-B schemes, in the case of some schemes, the allocation may be more than 30%.

However, here only the minimum 30% allocation has been considered.
Major steps taken by Government of Odisha to address gender issues & empower women    1/3 of vacancies reserved for women in Group-B, Group- C and Group-D posts of Government of Odisha, 30% reservation for Women in PRIs in 1992, subsequently raised to 50% in 2011, Created dedicated posts e.g.

Anganwadi workers, Anganwadi supervisors, Child Development Project Officers etc.
only for women, 88       Odisha Co-operative Societies Act 1992 amended to enhance participation of women in co-operative sector, In 2004-05 Government of Odisha introduced a women component plan in the state budget where at least 30 % funds were earmarked to all women related programs, In 2009-10 a Gender Cell was set up in W&CD department, Introduced Gender Budget Statement in Budget 2012- 13 for 100% Women Centric Programs, In 2014 a specific Women and Girls policy was introduced, Since 2016-17 the Gender Budget Statement for both in 100% Women’s Component Plan (WCPs) and at least 30% WCPs as Statement 20 are being incorporated in the Budget Document of Odisha Government.
Brief Analysis of Gender Budget (GB) Statements since the financial year 2015 - 2016 In 2015 , all important departments of the Government of Odisha were asked to furnish information on allocation of funds for Women Centric Programs and Schemes under two heads, Part- A 100% women beneficiaries and Part-B to include all programs and schemes with at least 30% allocation of funds for women and girls.

Part A of GB statement exhibited the allotments made to 12 departments.
In 2015-16, 54 schemes were designed to be implemented under 100% women centric programs (WCP) and 238 schemes under minimum 30% WCP, out of which 27 schemes have zero allocation of funds.

In the year 2016-17, only 13 schemes had zero allocation of funds.

During the years 2017-18 & 2018- 19, 55 100% WCP schemes and 287 minimum 30% WCP schemes were designed for these 12 departments, out of which 20 schemes had zero allocation in the year 2017-18 and 22 schemes had zero allocation in 2018-19.
89 Analysis of Gender Budget statements reveals that in 2015-16 & 2016-17 there were 54 schemes under 100% WCP.

Out of these, excluding zero allocation schemes, there were 52 active schemes in the GB Document for the year 2016-17.

In 2017-18 and 2018-19, there are 55 schemes including 3 and 2 schemes respectively having zero allocation.

Category B: Percentage of women beneficiaries range from 30 to 99 per cent of the total intended beneficiaries.
There were 520 such schemes in the GB Document for the years 2015- 16 & 2016-17 including 84 & 53 schemes respectively having zero allocation.

In the years 2017-18 & 2018--19, there are 485 schemes including 60 & 34 schemes having zero allocation in 2017-18 & 2018-19 respectively.

The schemes with less than 30 per cent allocations for women beneficiaries are not published in the GB document.
90 Women & Child Development (W&CD) department implements maximum number of 100% women beneficiary schemes .In 2015-16 & 2016-17-Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Department had at least 30% beneficiary WCPs and maximum number of schemes having zero allocation of funds.

In 2017-18 & 2018-19-Food Supply & Consumer Welfare Department had maximum more than 30 % WCPs and also maximum number of schemes having zero allocation of funds.
In the financial year 2015-16, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Department have earmarked 60 projects as prowomen programs out of which 17 schemes had zero fund allocation (Table-2).

Allocation of funds for 100% WCP of Food Supply &Consumer Welfare Department and School and Mass Education Department did not feature in Part- A of Statement 20 of 2016-17 and allocation of funds for 100% WCP of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Department did not feature in Part- A of Statement 20 of 2018-19.
There were 238 Part-B schemes in the GB Document for the years 2015-16 & 2016-17 for these 12 Departments, including 26 & 13 schemes having zero allocation in the financial year 2015-16 & 2016-17 respectively.

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Departments implemented maximum number of schemes Part-B schemes and also has maximum number of zero fund allocation schemes.
In the financial years 2017-18 & 2018—19, there are 287 such schemes including 19 & 20 schemes having zero allocation in 2017-18 & 2018-19 respectively and maximum number of zero fund allotted schemes are with Food Supply & Consumer Welfare Department (Table-2).

91 92 93 Allocations for FY 2015-16, FY 2016-17, FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 Gender Budget Document calculations take into account 100% allocation under Category ‘A’ schemes.
However, for all Category ‘B’ schemes, only the minimum 30% allocation has been considered.

As may be seen from the above table under Category A+B, there is a decrease of 6.8%, 29.32% in the total allocations for both the categories of Gender Budgeting in 2016-17 & 2017-18 respectively and an increase of 35.47% in 2018-19 as compared to the year 2017-18.

The increase of allocations under Category A is 15.22% in the year 2017-18 as compared to the previous year.
It is due to introduction of Schemes like KHUSHI, MAMATA, Pradhan Mantri Matru Bandana Yojana etc.

In Category B Schemes, there was a decrease in allocation by 6.92% & 31.23% in the year 2016-17 & 2017-18 respectively in comparison to the previous years and an overall increase of 38.01% in the year 2018-19 as compared to previous year (Table-3 & Figure- 1).
TABLE-3 94 Analysis relating to the amount of funds allotted for Plan A & B in comparison to total amount of funds allotted to these 12 departments reveals that of the allotted funds for WCP schemes during the years, 13.83%,11.64%, 7.63% & 8.89% percent of the total funds are available to these departments.
(Table-4 & Figure-2) Table-4 (In Rs Lakh) 95 Table-5 - Details of Allocations for FY 2015-16 , FY 2016-17 , FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 (for Departments featuring in Part A GB Statement) In Rs lakh 96 WCP expenditure as percentage of total expenditure is depicted in Table-6.

The Statement 20 of 2016-17 has missed the budget allocation of School & Mass Education, Food Supply & Consumer Welfare Department two important departments.
The expenditures incurred on WCP as percentage of total expenditure was 0.45% in 2017-18 which has been increased to 0.66% in 2018- 19 in FS &CW Department and from 8.19% to 13.34% in S & ME department.

Only the departments e.g.

SC, ST Dept.

Health &Family welfare PR & WCD are spending significant proportion of their allotted funds towards Women Centric Programs.
The expenditures incurred by SC,ST, Minority & backward classes department, Health and Family Welfare department, Sports and Youth Services department, Sports and Youth Services department, Panchayati Raj department on WCP as percentage of total expenditure show fluctuating trends from 2015 to 2018.

All the 11 Departments except W&CD Department during the 2015-16 to 2016-17 exhibited a regular trend during these 4 financial years (Table-6, Figure-3).
Table-6 - WCP Expenditure as Percentage to Total Expenditure 97 Figure-3 – Department wise trends in fund allocation for WCP The expenditures incurred by Home department on WCP as percentage of total expenditure is not only very small but also show a continuous downward trend from 2015 to 2018.
The expenditures incurred by Home department on WCP as percentage of total expenditure was 0.97% in the year 2015- 16 which has been reduced to 0.45 % in 2016-17, to 0.27% in 2017 -18 and further to 0.17% in 2018-19.

In SC,ST, Minority & backward classes department WCP expenditures as percentage of total fund allotted was 36.81% in 2015-16 reduced to 14.94% I 2016-17, increased to 21% in 2017-18.

Similar trend was also exhibited by Health & Family Welfare department.
The WCP expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure showed an upward trend in W & CD Department from the level of 27.31% in 2015-16 increased to 53.79% in 2018-19.

The fund allocation to WCP as percentage total in department of Higher Education is small; 1.97% in 2015-16, 98 1.64% in 2016-17, 3.27% in 2017-18 and 3.24 % in 2018-19.
Budgetary allocation for Sports & Youth Services department for WCP expenditure showed a sudden jump from 1.15% to 45.40% in 2017-18 and maintained at 30.45% in 2018-19 BE.

PR department which has crucial role in designing and making the fate of rural folk of Odisha incurred WCP expenditures as percentage of total fund allotted as only 9.96% in 2015-16, 8.27% in 2016-17, increased to 15.06% in 2017-18 but again reduced to the level of 7.07% in 2018-19.
The WCP expenditure in Transport department showed a sharp downward turn from 36.43% in 2015-16 & 28.34% in 2016-17 to 0.20% in 2017-18 99 and 0.16% in 2018-19.
The expenditures incurred on WCP as percentage of total expenditure for Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability department was 51.95% in 2016-17 drastically decreased to 17.75% in 2017-18 and 16.50% in 2018-19.The expenditures incurred on WCP as percentage of total expenditure for all these 12 important gender sensitive departments taken together is not only very small but also show a continuous downward trend from 13.83% in 2015-16 to11.64% in 2016-17, 10.27% in 2017-18and 10.28% in 2018- 19.
This may be due to arbitrary budget estimate resulting from confusion regarding extent of benefit conferred by the schemes, lack of sex disaggregated data, difficulty for the officials to decide on the schemes to be included and quantify the number of women beneficiaries of these schemes.
Issues, Challenges & the Way Forward Under Part –A of the Statement 20, allocation of funds 100 are clear as they enlist the 100% women beneficiary schemes but under Part- B, there is confusion regarding extent of benefit conferred by these schemes.

Lack of sex disaggregated data makes it difficult for the officials to decide on the schemes to be included and quantify the number of women beneficiaries of these schemes and thus arbitrary budget estimates are being made.
Most of the Departments have depicted a flat 30 or 40 per cent of their budgetary allocation as WCP expenditures.

Strange, inexplicable inconsistencies and decreases are seen in the allocated funds for Women Centric Programs.

While the total funds allocated for WCPs in 2015-16 was Rs 3573496 lakhs, it was reduced to Rs 3330243 lakhs in 2016-17 and drastically reduced to Rs 2353710 lakh in 2017-18.

The available data gives us the total amount of funds allocated for WCPs.
However the limited availability of sex- disaggregated data for various programmes and schemes leads to non-availability of the number of beneficiaries of the various programmes & schemes undertaken by the various departments.

The GB Statement misses the chunk of funds with programmes & schemes having less than 30% WCPs and is only an ex post facto exercise.
Gender Budgeting is associated with budgeting; State Governments’ most important policy making process but the mechanism to internalize the same in planning and evaluation is missing.

For example let us consider creation of public toilet facilities for women at various locations in India.

Gender Budgeting and empowerment of women should be kept in mind from the planning stage itself and should not only be specific to the toilet facility project.
Even when the Government is allocating funds for roads, highways and public transport facilities; public toilets for women should be a part of the planning stages of those projects too.

For example, when the Government is starting a new bus stop, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact amount of benefit to women.

The technical challenge is to design the methodology to generate and collect sex-disaggregated data.
However even these projects benefit women and facilitate communication and transportation for women in that specific area.

A public toilet for women in that bus stop shall further facilitate travel for women.

All this should 101 form part of the planning stage itself.

Gender budgeting cannot be a standalone programme in itself.

It needs to be incorporated in every stage of programme development for the budgeting to be successful.
The existing gender-neutral budgets ignore the gender specific impacts of budgetary policies.

Generally, budgeting involves four components: (i) the budgetary allocation of resources to various heads, (ii) the actual Government outlays on various heads, (iii) an accounting of how resources are utilised for a particular purpose (e.g.

on administrative overheads and wages and salaries, operation and maintenance, etc.
), and (iv) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the resources utilised in delivering the intended results.

Gender budgeting involves looking at all the four components from the point of view of women as beneficiaries.

The existing practice of budgeting does not pay any special attention to the impact of budgets on women.

Linking to outcomes is important.
References  Gender Budgeting Hand Book for Government of India Ministries and Departments- Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India  Budget_at_a_Glance_(Full)- Govt of Odisha, Finance Department, 2016- 17, 2017-18, 2018-19  People_guide_budget- Govt of Odisha, Finance Department, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19  International Monetary Fund,April 19, 2017- GENDER BUDGETING IN G7 COUNTRIES-  Chakraborty, Lekha, 2016, “Asia: A Survey of Gender Budgeting Efforts,” IMF Working Paper 16/150 (Washington, DC: IMF).
 World Bank, 2011, World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development (Washington, DC: World Bank).

 United Nations, Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Gender Mainstreaming Strategy for Promoting Gender Equality  World Bank, 2011, World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development (Washington, DC: World Bank).

 United Nations, 2015, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for 102  Sustainable Development, A/RES/70/1.
RETHINKING GENDER BUDGETING FOR COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA Jayanta Choudhury & Moutoshi Deb Introduction Women constitute about half of the population of India.

Women Empowerment refers to increasing and improving the social, economic, political and legal strength of the women, to ensure equal-right to women.

Women empowerment is the buzzword now a days.

No country can afford development without considering women who constitute about half of its stock of human resource.
The development issues related to women in a large country like India will not only be inappropriate but sometimes even misleading.

Women specific and women related legislations have been enacted to safeguard the rights and interests of women, besides protecting against discrimination, violence and atrocities and also to prevent socially undesirable practices.
It helps women to control and benefit from resources, assets, income and their own time, as well as the ability to manage risk and improve their economic status and wellbeing.

Many of the barriers to women’s empowerment and equity lie ingrained in cultural norms.

Many women feel these pressures, while others have become accustomed to being treated inferior to men.
Empowering women to participate fully in economic 103 life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities.

Gender Budgeting is a powerful tool for achieving gender mainstreaming so as to ensure that benefits of development reach women as much as men.

The human development index and its indicators also show dismal position of women.
The government and non- government orgnizations and agencies have initiated programmes, policies and schemes and enacted the constitutional and legal provisions foe empowerment of women at the global level.

Government of India also has introduced women specific programmes, schemes and policies with a separate Ministry of Women and child Development.
Internationally gender budgeting has one of the most effective tool for empowerment of women by incorporating gender perspectic policies, programme and planning as well.

According to IMF study, Gender Budgeting at department/ ministry brought more focus on issues of women’s inequality and empowerment and thereby led to more specific allocation on such schemes.
For example- Ministry of agriculture, under NRLM has launched Mahila Kisan Shashtikaran Yojana to allocate 30 percent of its budget for women welfare following gender budgeting initiative.

Similarly, Women entrepreneurship has been encouraged through various schemes such as stand up India, Mahila e – Haat etc.

Women perspective Initiatives: 2001: a.

Special reference by the Finance Minister of India in his Budget speech.

b.
b.

Study on Gender Related Economic Policy Issues by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP).

(Commissioned by the then DWCD).

104 c. The second interim report of the NIPFP (August 2001), for the first time analysed the Union Budget 2001-02 from a gender perspective.

2002: d. Analysis of Budgets of select States was undertaken by NIPCCD.
2003: e. Expenditure on women was elicited from the Union Budgets in the succeeding years 2002-03, 2003- 04, 2004-05 and the broad results were reflected.

in the Annual Reports of the DWCD.

This became a step forward in the direction of Gender Analysis of the Union Budget In January 2003, the Cabinet Secretary Government of India, recommended the suggestion that Ministries/Departments should have a chapter on Gender issues in their Annual Reports.
Many Ministries/Departments have since been reporting on the same, which forms a major basis of reviewing the achievements on Gender Budgeting within the Ministries/Departments.

2004: f. A.

Ministry of Finance constituted an Expert Group on classification system of Government transactions “to examine the feasibility of and suggest the general approach to Gender Budgeting and economic classification”.g.

B. Inter-Departmental Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Secretary, Expenditure.h.
C. The first meeting of inter-departmental committee held on 7 December 2004, wherein need for opening Gender Budget Cells (GBCs) in all Ministries/ Departments was deliberated and subsequently a letter was issued to this effect.i.

105 D. Instructions issued by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, in December, 2004 to all Ministries/ Departments to establish a ‘Gender Budgeting Cell’ by 1st January, 2005.j.
E. Subsequently, the Secretary, Planning Commission, endorsed the views of the Ministry of Finance and advised “the Ministries/ Departments to clearly bring out scheme-wise provisions and physical targets in the Annual Plan proposals for 2005-06 and to carry out an incidence analysis of Gender Budgeting from next financial year.” k. A.

Since 2005-06, the Expenditure Division of the Ministry of Finance has been issuing a note on Gender Budgeting as a part of the Budget Circular every year.
This is compiled and incorporated in the form of Statement 20 as a part of the Expenditure Budget Document Volume 1 by the Expenditure Division of the Ministry of Finance.

This GB Statement comprises two parts- Part A and Part B.· Part A reflects Women Specific Schemes, i.e.

those which have 100% allocation for women.· Part B reflects Pro Women Schemes, i.e.

those where at least 30% of the allocation is for women.

2005: 2007: l. A.
2005: 2007: l. A.

A Charter for Gender Budget Cells (GBCs) issued on 8th March 2007, by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, outlining the composition of GBCs and their functions.m.

B.

Introduction of scheme on Gender Budgeting with a view to building capacity and encouraging research, so that a gender perspective was retained at all levels of the planning, budget formulation and implementation processes.
All 106 2010: State Governments, Government agencies and training institutions can apply under the scheme.

n. A.

The Planning Commission, Government of India, vide D.O.

no.

PC/SW/1-3(13)/09-WCD, dated, 5th January, 2010, has clarified that, “Women Component Plan should no longer be used as a strategy either at the Centre or at the State level.
In its place as already initiated by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Women and Child Development, we should adopt Gender Responsive Budgeting or Gender Budgeting only”.o.

B.

The Department of Expenditure has issued ‘Revised Guidelines for preparation of Outcome.
Herein the Outcome Budget scope prescribes that “As far as feasible, sub-targets for coverage of women and SC/ST beneficiary under various developmental schemes and schemes for the benefit of North Eastern Region should be separately indicated.” 2012: p. A.

Formation of Working Group for Developing Guidelines for Gender Audit of Policies, Programmes and Schemes of Government of India q. r. B.

The Secretary, Planning Commission, Government of India, vide D.O.

no.
no.

PC/SW/1-3(13)/ 09-WCD, dated, 18th October, 2012, has written to Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs that, “To accelerate the process (of GB), State Finance Departments could set up Gender Budget Cells on the lines of the Charter for Gender Budget cells issued by the Ministry of Finance.

The State Planning Departments may also be instructed to include the need for gender budgeting as a part of their annual plan circular “.

107 2013: s. A.

The Secretary, MWCD, vide D.O.

no.


1-25/2012- GB, dated, 18th February, 2013, has issued guidelines to States to provide a road map towards institutionalizing Gender Budgeting at State level.

Source: Department of Women and Child Development, GoI, 2018 Focus has been given on education, health, and safety of women.
For example Beti bachao, beti padhao; free bicycles to girls, Janani Surakhya Yojana etc., resulting into increase in enrolment of girl child at primary and secondary level, increase in SHGs providing economic voices to women’s etc.

It has brought change in outlook and behaviour of govt.

in working towards gender centric welfare.

A gender sensitive budget helps in translating gender-specific commitments into budgetary commitments.
Since women comprise approx 48 percent of the population of India, it becomes important for their voices to be heard.

Gender based inequality will reduce provided this step is effectively implemented.

Several initiatives had been enacting to pave the women empowerment and status in India in last few years.

Status of Violence against Women: According to UNDP’s 1995 Human Development Report, 70 percent of the world’s people living in poverty were women (UNDP, 1995).
According to the Department of Justice of the United States of America 95 percent of the victims of domestic violence were women.

The National Crime Victimization Survey in the U.S.A. consistently found that no matter who initiates the violence, women were 7 to 10 times more likely to be affected than men.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the U.S.A. about 2 million men per year beat their partners.
The Council of Europe - Europe’s leading human rights organization-had shown that 12-15 percent women in Europe face violence in the home every day.

UNESCO (1993) presented the case studies of domestic violence in India and 108 Korea.

The report also presented the review of legal enactments on violence against women during 1980 – 89.

GTZ (2002) presented the theoretical perspective of domestic violence against women and girls.
As per report published by National Crime Records Bureau comparing the crime rates of India since from 1953 to 2006 the graph of crime scenario against women moving towards high altitude.

According to the aforesaid report the crime against women rate was higher than the population growth rate of India by 2010.

Many cases were not registered due different social stigma and administrative barriers in cases of rape and molestation (NCRB, 2013).
In course of time different legal initiatives had been taken for the protection of women right and to bring equality among man and woman (Choudhury and Deb, 2014).

Domestic Violence was pervasive in India rural area is 42.9 percentage & urban area is 32.7 percentage.

According to National Family Health Survey- III, 37.2 percentage Indian married women had experienced violence and abused by their spouse.
Different Acts were enacted to protect women and for women safe guard in India since from pre independent and post Independent era.

Year 1829 1929 1947 Gender oriented different Acts The practice of sati was formally abolished by Governor General William Bentick after years of campaigning by Hindu reform movements such as the Brahmo Samaj of Ram Mohan Roy against this orthodox Hindu funeral custom of self-immolation of widows after the death of their husbands.
Child Marriage Restraint Act, prohibiting marriage of minors under 14 years of age is passed.

India achieves political independence from the British Raj.

109 1950 1952 1955 1958 1973 The Constitution of India establishes a sovereign democratic republic with universal adult franchise.

Part 3 of the Constitution contains a Bill of Fundamental Rights enforceable by the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
It also provides for reservations for previously disadvantaged sections in education, employment and political representation.

Criminal Tribes Acts repealed by government, former "criminal tribes" categorized as "denotified" and Habitual Offenders Act (1952) enacted.

Reform of family law concerning Hindus gives more rights to Hindu women.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958[5] Supreme Court of India rules in Kesavananda Bharati case that the basic structure of the Constitution (including many fundamental rights) is unalterable by a constitutional amendment.

1975-77 State of Emergency in India extensive rights violations take place.

1978 1978 1984 1984 SC rules in Menaka Gandhi v. Union of India that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be suspended even in an emergency.
Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978[6][7] Operation Blue Star and the subsequent 1984 Anti- Sikh riots 2006 Extrajudicial disappearances in Punjab by the police 1985-86 The Shah Bano case, where the Supreme Court recognised the Muslim woman's right to maintenance upon divorce, sparks protests from 110 Muslim clergy.
To nullify the decision of the Supreme Court, the Rajiv Gandhi government enacted The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986 Hashimpura massacre during communal riots in Meerut.

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 is passed.

1987 1989 1993 1992 1992 1989-present Kashmiri insurgency sees ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, desecrating Hindu temples, killing of Hindus and Sikhs, and abductions of foreign tourists and government functionaries.
A constitutional amendment establishes Local Self- Government (Panchayati Raj) as a third tier of governance at the village level, with one-third of the seats reserved for women.

Reservations were provided for scheduled castes and tribes as well.

Babri Masjid demolished by Hindu mobs, resulting in riots across the country.

National Human Rights Commission is established under the Protection of Human Rights Act.

Supreme Court passes extensive orders to implement the right to food.
[8] 2002 Gujarat riots which claimed several thousand lives of Indian Muslims.

A powerful Right to Information Act is passed to give citizen's access to information held by public authorities.

[9] National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) guarantees universal right to employment.
Disappearance of Jaswant Singh Khalra by the Punjab Police (Khalra brought to light the extrajudicial disappearances in Punjab) 2002 2001 2005 2005 2005 111 2006 2009 Supreme Court orders police reforms in response to the poor human rights record of Indian police.
[10] Delhi High Court declares that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which outlaws a range of unspecified "unnatural" sex acts, is unconstitutional when applied to homosexual acts between private consenting individuals, effectively decriminalising homosexual relationships in India.

[11] See also: Homosexuality in India.


As per NCRB report 2013 rate of crime against women during 2012 in Tripura was 86.95 and on the other hand incidence of crime against women during 2012 was 1,559.So, the gender based violence was really a big issue for development of rural areas for its increasing trend.

So this problem was really a vital issue for research for the well being our human society.
Alarmingly, according to UNIFEM, 2007 more than 12 women die every day as a result of dowry disputes, mostly in kitchen fires designed to look like accidents (UNIFEM, Domestic Violence Against Women in India, UNIFEM, New Delhi, 2007).
The National Commission for Women in India states that "Everyday almost six hours somewhere at some place in India a young married woman is being burnt alive or beaten to death or being pushed to commit suicide" (NCW, Violence Against Women in North-East India: An Enquiry, National Commission for Women, New Delhi, 2004).Over the past few years, the cases of bride burning have registered a sharp increase throughout India".
A study conducted in Chandigarh found that married women comprised 78 per cent of total female burn fatalities.

55 per cent of these fatalities were aged between 21-30 years.

Harassed women were also driven to suicide.

In Gujarat alone, it is estimated that 2000 women committed suicide on account of domestic violence in 1989-90.
112 Consequences of Violence Against Women & Gender Budgeting: The term "empowerment" needs to be made current watchword of high-powered executives, business tycoons, personality developers as well as those involved in gender education.

It is a process, not something that can be given to people.

It does not mean the transfer of power on disempowered people.

According to Longwe (1990) five levels of empowerment of women has given the following, 1.
Welfare- concerns meeting the basic needs without attempting to solve the underlying structural causes.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Access- access to the resources such as education, opportunities, land and credit Conscientization- recognition of structural and institutional discrimination as the cause for low socio- economic status and of women's own role in reinforcing the restrictive system.

Participation- through mobilizing collective action, women gain increased empowerment to make decisions alongside man.
Control- being able to make decision on all affairs concerning themselves, their families, at the political level from the Panchayat Raj to the Parliament level, to play an active role in the development process of the nation and be recognised and appreciated for their contribution.

Awareness about gender budgeting and policy level commitment to women's empowerment is at a peak today.
Various enabling measures like setting up of gender budgeting cells in Ministries of Government of India, reflection of a gender budget statement in the Union Budget and adoption of the women's component plan by some states have been undertaken.
The midterm appraisal of the Tenth Plan has 113 identified adverse child sex ratio, high MMR, wide gender gap in literacy and wage rates, violence against women and female feticide and infanticide as burning issues for women besides vulnerability of women in low paid hazardous and insecure jobs in the unorganized sector and in export processing/special economic zones.
Undeniably, participative budgeting with women being directly involved in the decisions related to planning, financing and programme implementation is the ideal situation.

An Alternative Strategy The strategy is based on Macro level planning for micro needs.

The gender budgeting becomes bottom up approach.

That means it is not the allocation of resources in the budget at national and or state levels but the resources that flow to and are available to women at the field level i.e.
the women in the villages, cities and towns of the country that need to be monitored.

Planning for empowerment should then be based on reality check on the level of empowerment of women at the field level based on regional geographic spatial maps.

Gender Responsive budget is important because evidence suggests that the economic gains of gender equality lead to increased output and better development of people's capacities.
Women's economic empowerment could provide the possibility for all countries to have some combination of increased productivity less stress and better overall health.

On the other hand, women will be benefited in a way with lesser strain, greater involvement in important decision-making and that in turn will pave the path of true development.

CONCLUSION Women need to be provided access and control of the resources.
They should be provided adequate education, skills for availing the economic opportunities by the tool of gender budgeting itself.

The delayed marriages can play an important role in decreasing women's sense of powerlessness and in protecting them from marital violence.

Economic independence 114 of women is of paramount importance for their emancipation.

Thus, it is important to create more economic opportunities for women for their self-dependence.
Special programme may be launched in this regard or may give priority to the victims of domestic violence to become them self sufficient.

Gender budgeting may act as a reactor to reduce gender based violence in our country and may also balancing in parallel.

Bibliography: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

8.

9.

10.

Rubin Marilyn Marks and John R. Bartle (2005): Integrating Gender into Government Budgets: A New Perspective, Public Administration Review, May 2005.
Hewitt, G. (2000): Incorporating Gender into National Budgets: An Overview of Commonwealth Experiences.

Klot Jennifer, Holvoet Nathalie, Villagomez, Judd Karen: (2001): Gender Budget Initiatives: Strategies, Concepts and Experiences Papers from a High Level International Conference 'Strengthening Economic and Financial Governance Through Gender Responsive Budgeting' Bud lender Debbie , Elson Diane ,Hewitt Guy, Mukhopadhyay Tanni (2002) :A Profile of Country Activities.
In Gender Budgets Make Cents: Understanding Gender Responsive Budgets, 131-64.

London: Commonwealth Secretariat.

Longwe, Sara H. (1990): From Welfare to Empowerment: The Situation of Women in Development in Africa, A Post UN Women's Decade Update and Future Directions 25 pp.

6.

7.

Report on Gender Diagnosis and Budgeting in India of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, December, 2001.
Sharp Rhonda and Ray Broomhill, (1990): "Women and Government Budgets," Australia Journal of Social Issues, Vol.

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United Nations Statistical Division (1993), 'Systems of National Accounts 1993', United Nations, New York.

UN?Women?(2012),?'Gender?Budgeting:?Evaluation?

Report', UN Women, New Delhi.

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Sen, G (1999), Gender Mainstreaming in Finance: A Reference Manual for Governments and Other Stakeholders, Gender Management System Series, Commonwealth Secretariat, London.

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Sen, G (2000), 'Gender Mainstreaming in Finance Ministries', World Development, Vol.28 No.7, 1379-1390  115 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN INDIA Namrata Chada If democracy is the rule by the people, the question that arises is, who participates in Political decisions, which is one of the most fundamental questions of democracy.

It is the will of the people, men and women, which decides who should rule and what the goals should be.
Citizens use participation as a way to communicate their aspirations and needs, and a technique to strengthen democracy.

Lack of ability to participate implies lack of full membership within the system.

The government takes important decisions not only on National and international issues, but also on matters which affect women’s lives directly, such as maternity and child care.

Though women have large stake in politics, as large as that of men, they do not have their share of political power.
Politics, the sphere of “public” life that deals with establishing, interpreting and enforcing the rules of personal and community relations, has not welcomed women.

Against the traditional view of politics as an activity- conscious, deliberate participation in the formal political process, there is another view which tends to equate politics with the working out of relationships within a given power structure.
Traditionally it was believed that politics takes place in the public sphere, distinct and distant from the private 116 sphere.

So in a conventional analysis, political participation means activities related to electoral politics, like voting, campaigning, holding party offices and contesting elections.

Now such views and the public-private divide are challenged by feminist scholars and activists.
It is argued that the public- private divide has been used to legitimize women’s exclusion from public politics (Elshtain).

Today issues of rape and sexual harassment at work are no longer only women’s issues in the private sphere.

They are issues concerning all the public sphere.


The New Delhi Document on Women in development (1985) accepted that though there has been rapid growth of informal political activity by women to advance their own interests and their rights as citizens, their role in the formal political structures has remained virtually unchanged.

And this has resulted in serious conceptual debate among activists regarding the concept and indicators for political participation.
Much of politics occurs outside conventional political institutions.

Political participation, therefore has to be understood in its broader context.The concept of political participation encompasses all voluntary actions intended to influence the making of public policies, the administration of public affairs and the choice of political leaders at all levels of government.
Political participation is concerned not only with the organization of the state and government and the dialectics of the exercise of power; it also seeks to reorganize the lives of the members of the society.

Today the political interventions by women in India range from movements for peace and good governance to protests against rape, dowry, domestic violence, food adulteration, the price rise and deforestation.
They are raising their voices against discrimination and injustice in social, economic and political spheres.

Politics for them does not mean only the activities of electing representatives and governing.

It also includes efforts of raising consciousness and changing the 117 unequal power structure for a just and equal system.

Women and Electoral politics After independence, Indian women slowly began to realize that actualization of promises of equality is not a smooth process.
As the euphoria over newly-won freedom subsided, the complicated and intricate pattern of politics became clear with its variations of castes, languages, religions and divisions of family structure and cultural traditions.

Indian women started becoming aware of the barriers of the caste, class, language, religion and region and the consequent complexity of these issues as well as difficulties encountered in handling them.
Participation in the freedom struggle had not generated any controversy on gender roles.

The assimilation of women in the struggle to free the nation had given them confidence and access to positions of power and responsibility, still the positions of power were not within easy reach.
a) Women and Voting Since 1951, women have been participating in the formal channel of politics as voters, as party workers, as candidates contesting various elections, and as legislators and ministers involved in deliberations and policy making.

Voting is the most important and basic means by which citizens are assimilated into the political process and learn how to exercise power.
When India decided to conduct the biggest experiment of democracy by granting adult franchise, millions of men and women participated in the political process for the first time in the history of the nation.

In the very first election, thousands of women were left out, as their names were not properly registered.

The reason for this can be traced to the traditions of a land in which a woman is known mainly by her relation to a man-father, husband or son.
These women naturally failed to understand the fact that giving one’s name correctly is the first step in the 118 process of exercising political power.

The striking fact about the male and female turn-out in voting was the astoundingly low figure for women in the initial years.

A redeeming fact, however, is that the gap between the number of women and men voting has been narrowing.
Many factors impact on elections, such as education, religion, consciousness regarding caste and class, awareness about women’s issues, opinions of male members in the family, preferences for women candidates and the programmes and policies of various political parties.

The close relationship between literacy and voting is generally accepted.

Still, it cannot be assumed that literacy always stimulates political awareness.
There is no dearth of evidence to show that educated women in rural areas display remarkable enthusiasm for voting.

Again, in a society bound by traditions and dominated by religion, there is a great possibility of votes being influenced by religion or religious teachers.

Political parties often appeal to the religious sentiments of women voters, and make clever use of religious festivals to mobilise women voters.

Consciousness regarding caste and class also affect and influence voting behavior.
According to a study of the first general elections in Uttar Pradesh, the middle and the upper middle-class women considered it below their dignity to go and vote in the open (Menon:31).

Unfortunately, caste prejudices and class divides have strengthened during the last five decades.

The recent controversy on the bill for reservation of seats for women displays the hold of deep rooted caste politics.
The issue of reservation of seats for women got linked with the issue of seats available for other backward castes, and the bill could not be passed.

The rise of women politicians such a Mayawati and Phoolan Devi also has important links with caste identities.

An analysis of Phoolan Devi and social churning in Uttar Pradesh shows how all political leaders found 119 it expedient to project her as a leader of the backwards.
This is why Phoolan Devi, who by all reports, was not taken seriously in parliament by her colleagues, is being sought after now, in death.

The most common belief regarding women’s voting pattern is that women vote according to the choice of the family’s male members.

This cannot be denied.

But an equally important fact is that a woman has a mind of her own, and she likes to vote according to her choice.
With the upsurge of the new women’s movement and the rise of autonomous organizations, this tendency continues to gain strength.

This experience of some elected members bears testimony to the fact that women voters seem more concerned about problems that affect their day-to-day lives, such as price rise, scarcity of water and housing, and facilities for health and education than men.

Women, especially since late Eighties, have been raising their concern about the deteriorating quality of life.
The Stree Mukti Sampark Samiti in Maharashtra had issued a pamphlet on ‘Our Candidate for the Election’.

It appealed to women to vote for candidates who are committed to secular values and who take a principled stand against social, domestic and political atrocities on women.

It further stated that the candidates must believe in women-centered development and must give the highest priority to issues such as water, food, fodder, health, education and employment.
Political parties have now started giving some attention to women and their votes, but the inclusion of some issues in their manifestos and declarations of schemes, not backed by a firm commitment and a definite plan of implementation, has failed to make any impact.

After many meetings at grass-root levels in 1996, the National Alliance For Women presented a women’s manifesto and a charter of demands reflecting the woman’s perspective on politics.
Though voting is the first step towards assimilation in the political system, in itself it is not sufficient.

It requires the least motivation and initiative, and 120 more so with women for whom the Election Day is a break from daily drudgery.

Voting serves as a tool of political equality, but the act of voting in itself does not yield the desired end of equality.

Very often it strengthens the authority of the traditional elite, and women remain more or less on the periphery of the political arena.
b) Women and political parties Almost all parties are generous in giving promises for a better future for women.

The women’s movement and declaration of 1975 as the women’s year and later 1975-1985 as the Women’s Decade brought some change in the perspective of political parties towards women.

The government has also accepted the approach of visualizing women as participants in the process of development and not as mere beneficiaries of welfare schemes.
The 1989 elections reflected the changing approach of political parties to women, at least in words.

Among the many promises doled out to women, prominent were: 30 percent reservation for women in institutions of local self-government (Congress); 30 percent reservation for women in panchayats (CPI-M); 30 percent reservation for women in government jobs (The National front) and reservation for women upto 30 percent for women in certain categories of jobs (BJP).
In 1996, up yo 30 percent reservation for women was promised by the congress and 33 percent by the BJP and the CPI-M.

But the practice showed a different pattern.

The number of women candidates fielded was: 49 by the congress, 23 by the BJP, 13 by the Janata dal and four by the CPI.
In 1998 elections also, the BJP and alliance partners, to the Congress, the United front, the Janata dal and left parties promised many programmes for women, including 33 percent reservations of seats for women in state assemblies and Parliament.

While it is important to note that although parties give some place to women in their manifestos, the promises 121 remain on paper.

Most of them mobilise women for rallies and demonstrations.
Even the left parties do not challenge the inequality between men and women inherent in our social and political system.

Women do not find place on decision making committees of political parties.
A few women leaders have been able to reach the position of party president or leader in the legislative parties, as did Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi (Congress), Mrinal Gore (Janata Party), Gita Mukherjee (CPI), Vijaya Raje Scindhia and Sushama Swaraj (BJP), Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), jayalalitha (AIADMK), Mayawati (Bahujan Samaj Party) , Jaya jaitly (Samata party) and Nandini Sathpathy (the only woman CM of Orissa).
Though political parties have been of late making promises regarding 33 percent reservation for women, women candidates are not fielded in that proportion.

Parties do not hesitate to give tickets to persons known for their misbehavior with women, their insensitivity to women’s issues, even their support to Sati.

In 1999 elections, it was observed that parties which promised reservations of seat for women did not encourage women to fight elections.
There were only 277 women contestants for the 13th Lok Sabha, of whom only 47 won.

Presently 61 women candidates are elected in the 2014 Lok sabha elections as compared to 59 in 2009 elections.

c) Elected Women Members Many factors are important in the election of women candidate, such as literacy, a liberal family background, the financial position of the family, the support of male family members, involvement of politics, local conditions, campaign strategy, pull within the party, and personality.
The combined result of all these factors is that very few women are given 122 tickets and even fewer get elected from among this small number.

Getting a ticket is in fact very difficult for women aspiring for political power.

There are considerations of the strategies of the party leaders, party politics, money power, caste affiliation, regional politics and individual capacity of the candidate.
Parties are not willing to invest their energy in the election of women contestants, they are doubtful about their success.

Often, women candidates are dropped to make political compromises, or are given tickets for constituencies where there is little chance of their winning.

It is interesting to note that women politicians have come from different backgrounds.
In the period soon after independence, women such as Sucheta Kriplani, Vijaylakshmi Pandit, Sushila Nayar, Amrit kaur and Renuka Ray came from Nationalist movement.

Women like Gayatri Devi, Raje Bhosale and Vasundhara Raje came to politics from princely families.

Some, like Vaijayantimala and jaya Pradha, brought with them the glamour of the cine world.

A few women, like Indira Gandhi, became seasoned politicians as they contested elections three to five times.
Subhadra Joshi, Minimata Ajam Das guru and Jyotsna Chanda were elected to the Lok Sabha five times and Smt Sumitra Mahajan, presently speaker of Lok Sabha is nine time Member of Parliament (BJP).

Mostly women members are educated, with a middle class background and from the fields of agriculture, social work, medicine and law.

The background of elite and political families always provides women a smooth entry into politics.
Though the number of women elected is very small, the performance of elected women members in the deliberations of the legislature has been noteworthy.

Usually it is assumed that women are silent spectators in the legislative houses, they are more as wall flowers than as representatives of the people, 123 but a look through Parliament disproves this hypothesis.

Women have been vocal on the floor of the house.


They do not only concentrate their attention on “womanly” and “soft” subjects such as welfare of children and women, or health and education.

Women are not an invisible political group.

They utilize every opportunity to express their ideas.

What is frustrating is that the media coverage is very much pro-male.

Women have expressed their views on sensitive political matters.
The motion of thanks on the address of the President gives women members an opportunity to express their criticism or appreciation of the working of the government.

Calling attention notices, adjournment motions and motions of no- confidence are devices used by members of the Lok Sabha to keep the Government on its toes.

Women members have shown their mettle here too.

Speaking on the Budget, the women have displayed their ability to grasp economic realities and offer useful suggestions.
They have taken the opportunities of drawing the attention of the government to some important issues in the areas of education, health and other matters of public concern while discussing demands for grants.
The concern of women members for women is a double edged sword: if they express their concern they might be branded “for women only” which may lead to eclipse of their political careers, and if they don’t, they will fail to meet the natural expectations of voters and especially women’s organisations, of playing a positive role in dealing with women’s issues.

Women members of Parliament realize this, and often break barriers of party lines in support of women’s issues.
The women members of Parliament perform a double role as representatives of the people and representatives of the oppressed section of society, that is, women.

Many important laws regarding women are a result of women’s pressures and demands inside and outside the House.

Women members from 124 ruling and opposition parties have participated actively in the debates on dowry, and influenced the government to make changes in the existing dowry law.
Obstacles Faced by Women Reasons for the marginalization of women in Politics are not difficult to find.

There are many obstacles to assimilation of women in the process of decision-making, operating at different levels.

Fundamentally, attitudes which society defines as stereotypically masculine such as aggressiveness are considered the norm of politics.

One must have these characteristics to be a ‘real’ man and to be a ‘real’ politician.
Thus a woman who enters politics is considered to be, by definition, aggressive, calculating and practical.

Women in such circumstances find themselves entering an alien world.

The observations that women when elected do not participates in debates, or that women elect candidates whom their families support, have been proved wrong with more and more research findings coming up.

Another equally significant deterrent is the current political culture.
Not only has the political process become complicated, many decisions are taken behind the scene.

Power games are controlled by monetary deals, and since women have little control over finances, they are not considered worth betting on.

When women aspiring for political careers are labeled as irresponsible by their family members, and are seen as go-getters and not having ‘character’, it is a time of test of moral courage and perseverance for women politicians.
Threats of character assassination, criminalization of politics and political violence are enough to throttle the political ambitions of a woman.

Another important factor which has also to be considered is that much of the political participation today requires information, knowledge, exposure to various experiments, strategies, models etc.

In a country where only about 40 percent women are literate, how can one expect women to participate 125 effectively?
Women’s votes are not counted as women’s vote bank either by political parties or by society at large.

Political parties are always reluctant to field women candidates.

Though they have women’s wing, serious attempts to involve women in public life are rare.

The inability of a woman to raise funds for herself or the party chains a woman’s aspirations.
As a result of the factors mentioned above, the participation of women in politics becomes limited to voting, organizing processions and rallies and doing ancillary work in the party offices.

Reservation of Seats for Women In view of this situation, women’s organisations have been demanding reservation of seats for women in legislatures.
The response to the demand was the bill for the 84th and 85th Amendment to constitution, to allow one third of the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies to be reserved for women including for those from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The bill seems to be entangled in the web of male- dominated politics.

Political parties have no unanimous stand on the bill.
The issues of sub-quota for the backward classes and the method of reserving constituencies have been causing differences and apprehension.

Most women members of parliament, cutting across party lines, have been vocal in their support for the bill.

There are many instances in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and other states where women have fought bravely against corruption, alcoholism and other social evils.
The reservation policy is not an end in itself, we should see it as a means to achieve gender equality.

It is important that women enter in decision-making bodies in sizeable numbers, this ‘critical mass’ is important if women’s voices are to be heard in politics.

But mere entry into the political 126 system should not end transparency, accountability and commitment for women’s movement.
Instead of being submerged in the vastness of events, procedures, dogmas and ruthless competition, the movement must sail on its destination of equality and empowerment.

The task is uphill not impossible.

Women’s empowerment has to be seen in the larger context of the democratic system.

It demands the percolation of the values of equality and justice in daily life, the support of citizen’s groups in protest against oppression, and acceptance of the feminist perspective in the public sphere.
Women have to recognize, collectively and critically, the forces that limit them, and to work collectively and continuously to change the unequal power structure.

In other words, they have to experience the process of empowerment.

Reference : 1 2.

3.

4.

5.

Bishakha Dutt (1995) “And who will make Chappattis?”- study of all women panchayats in Maharashtra, 1962_1995.

Alochana, Pune.

Country Report (1995) - Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995.

Govt.

of India.
Govt.

of India.

Sushila Kaushik (2000) - Women and Policical Participation.

NCW-in 1997 Knocking at Male Bastion : Women in Politics.

Symbol of Power, Allied Publishers in Mumbai Laxmi Menon cited.

 127 ENGENDERING THE PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA Sucharita Pujari Introduction The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution and reinforced through several conventions including, most recently, the Sustainable Development Goals.
In reality, however, this ambition has yet to be achieved.

In India, gender inequality is manifested in declining population ratios of females to males.

Many women and girls continue to have restricted mobility and lack equitable access to education, employment, healthcare, civic amenities and development infrastructure relatively to men and boys.
In the context of post 2015 sustainable development agenda, it is important to remember that however impressive the progress may be, substantial and deep inequalities still persist in varying forms, even in domains where change has occurred.

Violence - within and outside the home – is an ever- present threat and an everyday reality for many women and girls across the country.
While evidence and data on violence against women and girls within the domestic spheres and in urban areas have begun to emerge, evidence to understand the scale and different forms of violence against women and girls in rural areas are far and few in between.

As rural areas are industrialized, urban- like spaces have begun encroaching into the boundaries of 128 villages.
This changes the eco-system and results in a breakdown of traditional social protection systems, and the vulnerability of women and girls in public spaces increases.

The potential opportunities of employment, while enhancing mobility at one end, also increases the risk of violence.

Role of Gram Panchayats In rural areas, local governance bodies - the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) - are constitutionally mandated to ensure social justice and equitable development.
As per the 11th schedule of the constitution, women and child development, and violence against women and children are among the areas in which Panchayats are to function as institutions of self government.

Gram Panchayats thus, represent contemporary leadership at the village level and are responsible for the equitable development of communities in rural India.
Their influence in shaping norms and defining priorities for their communities is unparallel, and they are responsible for the provision of appropriate civic amenities and development infrastructure, all of which can enable women’s sense of well- being, safety and equal access to opportunities and resources.
Despite this mandate gram panchayats in India have neglected their role considering violence as “women issues” and as “private matters” that has to be dealt within the four walls of the house and not to be discussed in the public space.

Constraints of PRIs to respond to issues of violence against women The present paper would basically reflect on what are the key constraints of PRIs as institution to respond to the issues of violence against women and girls despite being constitutionally assigned.
It is basically a reflection of the article by Verma and Bhatla (2012) based on their study of gram panchayat members in a few selected districts in India and their take on gender violence in the community.

129 Verma & Bhatlas study on GPs in a few districts of India show that gram panchayats remain primarily concerned about disbursement of programmes and schemes and rarely prioritize the strategic gender interests of women.
Most of the issues prioritized are either in the context of available schemes for women, or around their practical gender needs.

Issues like dowry, domestic violence, rape, child marriage have not got proper attention in meetings at different levels of Panchayati Raj.

There is no time to discuss these issues.

Even though GP members are approached by women for support, there is not much interest shown towards resolving the issues.
On the contrary, it is critical that GP members understand that sexual harassment and violence prevention are governance concerns that fall squarely within their mandate of equitable development and social justice, and that they take on board their role in addressing it.

Role of Gender Norms Gender norms are a subset of general community norms that are ubiquitous in Indian Society and violation of these norms are often met with strong disapproval by the community we live in.
Gender norms are culturally based and govern the differences between roles, rights and opportunities for women and men (Unicef 2016).

Thus a major challenge comes from an entrenched belief in the prevailing inequitable gender norms unfavourable to women.
Verma & Bhatla in their study used a 17-item Gender Equitable Scale to assess the attitude of women elected representatives form three states and found that as a whole, that most GP members, both men and women, across the sites fall into the moderate category, meaning that they hold attitudes that are moderately supportive of gender equity.

And a significant number indicated greater acceptance of violence against women and more traditional views about women in leadership positions and domestic roles.
In case of domestic 130 violence, majority believed that ‘perpetrator should be advised’.

This needs to be interpreted carefully given that there is normative acceptance of domestic violence and a felt need to keep such matters private.

It is also pertinent to understand the ways how violence has prevented the effectiveness of women’s representation in GPs/PRI.
What very glaringly comes out of the study is that essentially there are three distinct aspects of women’s political participation where violence is most likely to occur.
Firstly and the most common one is related to women’s entry into the local political arena; the second concerns elected women representative’s (EWR) participation and functioning in the different tiers of PRIs and finally the last one relates to their ability to perform or deliver on the expectation of bringing women related issues to the forefront within PRIs.
In each of these aspects, violence can take many forms and can be perpetrated by various agencies such as formal /state institutions and non-state actors including the family and community.

Violence can be both a determinant of women’s participation and an outcome of their participation in political processes.
If the impact of violence on women’s political participation has to be fully understood, in addition to investigating the impact of violence on EWRs, its impact on other women in the community must be explored as well.
In addition to elected women’s representation becoming effective, it is also important to understand what is the extent and nature of community women’s participation in the GP process, whether women in general feel that GP is a forum that represents their concerns, and acknowledges their rights as a citizen.
Currently we see a disjunct between the PRIs prioritization and women’s expectations- because women are approaching individual members for resolution of gender specific issues such as violence against women but the question remains if and whether the gram panchayat meets their expectations is something that’s not very clear.

That discourse 131 is important to making the PRIs inclusive and ‘gendered’ and moving forward towards the agenda of equitable development and not only be male dominated spaces.
Way Forward Gender Responsive Governance involves the incorporation of gender concerns within its processes, and defines gender equality and social justice as its outcome.

Gender responsive governance incorporates a process that includes change in the attitude and practices of different stakeholders including men and women at different levels of governance to impact on issues that concern empowerment of women and promote gender equality and social justice.
The findings of Vermas study indicate the need to focus on a more structural approach that should directly impact social norms around violence and strengthen capacities of local governance institutions- the PRIs.

A governance-based model must foster women’s agency and ability to voice their priorities, while also engaging young people to ensure that governance structures are responsive to these concerns.
Such a governance- based model, rooted in women’s empowerment and community mobilization, should be the way forward.

It is thus important to generate empirical evidence on the nature, extent and consequences of sexual violence experienced by women and girls in rural areas that could inform the above governance-based model.

References 1.

2.

3.


Bhatla, N. Walia, S. Khanna, T. and Verma, R. 2012 Opportunities and Challenges of Women’s Political Participation in India: A Synthesis of Research Findings from Select Districts in India.

Bhatla, N. Walia, S. Khanna, T. and Verma, R. 2012.

Local Governance for gender Equality: A study in select districts of India.

UNICEF (2016) : Social Norms Enabled Transformation , A consultative Workshop jointly organised by NIRDPR, Hyderabad and UNICEF (unpublished).
 132 INFUSION OF GENDER EQUITY IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE: THE ODISHA EXPERIMENT Amita Kumari Patra Introduction Gandhiji in his autobiography “My Experiments with Truth” has discussed how he transformed from an authoritarian husband to an understanding one because of Kasturba’s passive resistance against his unreasonable attitude.

It helps him to realize his fault and change his perception towards women.

According to Gandhiji “a woman is the companion of man gifted with equal mental capacity.
She has an equal right of freedom and liberty with men.

Gandhiji is confident that, if women realize their inner strength, there need not be any subservience to man or any other power on earth.
They have consented to be called the weaker sex, they have considered themselves unable to stand without man’s protection, they have acknowledged that they cannot compete with man intellectually, they have been flattered by man’s tributes to their physical beauty and power of attraction and have there by lowered their own status and standard (Thomas Joseph Parathara,2016).

He emphasised on the unfolding of inherent potentiality of women to get justice as a human being.
He strongly opposed social evils like child marriage, dowry, purdah, restriction on widows and many such prejudiced customs and practices .Throughout his life he strived hard to reform the society and to give women a new identity.

Gandhian philosophy 133 on equality between male and female speaks men and women are equal but not identical .The sphere of work, role, behaviour of men and women are different but they are complementary to each other.
The roles, behaviours, activities, attributes and opportunities associated with women and men in a given society at a given point of time are socio-culturally constructed, which is termed as Gender in development sector.

Concept of Gender Equity: Gender equity denotes to the equal outcomes for women and men recognizing their different needs, preferences and interests as well as distribution of resources.
Therefore, the goal of gender equity can be achieved not by providing equal opportunities but by requiring the transformative change and differential treatment to women and men for equal outcomes (World Bank 2011; Sen 1999; Kabeer 1996).

An equity approach calls for revisiting all development initiatives for their meaningful impact on both women and men in economic, social and political aspects.
Global Gender Gap Index was introduced by World Economic Forum (WEF), first time in 2006 for capturing the magnitude of disparities between male and females across four thematic dimensions—Economic Participation and opportunity, Attainment of education, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.

India was ranked low at 108th position out of 144 countries in Global Gender Gap Index 2017.

It slipped by 21 places compared to 87th rank last year.

Women constitute about half of the world’s population.
It is widely believed that without including half of the human resource in the process of development, nations cannot reach their full potential.

Hence, women participation along with men in the economic activities and governance is recognized as an important prerequisite for gender equity and sustainable development.
Gender equity and Rural Local Self Governance: Local Self Governance has always been considered as good governance at grass roots level In India, through which 134 democracy becomes truly representative, inclusive and gender responsive.
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (1993) infused dynamism and new orientation to the rural local self governance in the country .The act paved the way for the representation of marginalized groups (women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe) in the grassroots political process.
Article 243- D (3) of the act states that not less than one third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat shall be reserved for women and that such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a Panchayat.

Article 243 – D (2) states that not less than one – third of the total no.

of the seats reserved under clause – 1 shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes.
Article 243 – D (4) provides that the offices of the Chairperson in the Panchayat at the village or any other level shall be reserved for the schedule caste, schedule tribes and women and such reservations shall also not be less than one – third of the total no.

of the offices of Chairpersons in the Panchayat at each level.

Adequate representation of women in local self governance is an act of positive discrimination.
This has resulted presence of 14,26 lakhs elected women representatives which constitutes 46.1 percent of total elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions in India.

Reservation, indeed serves as an instrument of inclusive growth.
Recently Government of India has created an enabling environment for gender equity through different flagship programmes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojna - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY - NRLM) which are based on the principles of rights and entitlements.

Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) together with the XIVth Finance Commission grant has provided ample scope for need based planning for both male and female.
In the above backdrop, this paper tries to analyse how far gender equity has achieved through rural local self governance in the State of Odisha.
135 There are two paradoxically opposite schools of thought regarding gender equity in local self governance .While the antagonist school advocates that reservation of women in Panchayati Raj institution as a numerical game only, the optimist school of thought propagates all the Constitutional provisions as well as the social legislations present a better status to women and solve the problems of identity crisis for them (Rath, Navaneeta, 1999).
Positive trends towards gender equity in rural local self governance: Rural local self governance has witnessed many positive trends over the years.

Reservation policy and the legal provisions in Panchayati Raj system has created an enabling and empowering environment for gender equity in the state.Odisha is the first State in the country to adopt reservation of 33 percent of seats for women in three tier Panchayati Raj Institutions during 1992 prior to 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act.
A notable feature of reservation was the post of Vice Chairperson in each tier is earmarked for women where chairperson is a male member.

The reservation of seat for women was enhanced from 33 percent to 50 percent by the amending the Odisha Panchayat Laws in the year 2012.
According to Odisha Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat (Constitution of Standing Committee) Rules 2000, 2002, 2000 respectively, it is mandatory to constitute seven Standing Committees at each tier dealing with different developmental aspects.

The committee dealing with health, social security, women and child development at each tier of Panchayati Raj Institution comprises only women members.
The Chairperson or the Vice Chairperson whoever is women shall be elected as the Chairperson to this Standing Committee .Besides that Govt of Odisha has taken affirmative action for women by enforcement of number of provisions such as prohibition of proxy participation, withdrawal of membership 136 as an elected representative on the ground of absence from three consecutive ordinary meeting, quorum for women in Gram Sabha, Palli Sabha (minimum number of attendance required to conduct the meeting) in the Odisha Panchayat Act 1964 and Rules to ensure the attendance and meaningful participation of women in Panchayati Raj institutions.
Today women have got the recognition as political entity in the rural community.

Their political competence is recognised.

Earlier governance was considered as the “exclusive privilege” of male members and females were not recognised as political entities but with the introduction of reservation policy, male folk found difficult to get space in the power corridor so they manipulate their women family members as “dummies” to enter in to the grassroots governance.
However there is a change in the men’s perception and attitude especially among young and educated mass towards women’s entry into politics.

They are persuading their wives or other women members of their family to contest election.

Thus, total rejection has turned to limited support .

In some cases ,elected women PRI representatives receive tremendous encouragement and handholding support from husband, family even through political party to perform their duties.
There are also many case studies of women leaders in Odisha like former tribal Sarpanch Pana Marandi of Anandapur Block of Keonjhar district who won the election consecutively for three times could succeed in bringing transparency in Public Distribution System (PDS) and providing food security to the eligible beneficiaries, Jayashree Nayak ,a post graduate in Business Administration , left the lubricating job of Branch Manager of a Bank and being elected as Sarpanch Bhingarpur ,Balianta Block of Khurda district during the current tenure(2017-2022) She has proved her leadership qualities in providing skill training and placement to women youth of her Gram Pachayat.
Another gloring instance is Arnapurnna Dehuri Sarpanch of Mukundapur patna ,Ghatgaon Block in Keonjhar 137 district.

She has turned her tribal dominated Gram Panchayat in to a smart GP with all modern urban amenities and taken several initiatives for the women and girl child.

There are many other women elected representatives who became role model through their exemplary work in spite of number of hurdles during their political tenure.
A sea change is today marked in the self perception of elected women representatives.

This symbolises the rising confidence among them.The empirical evidence on the journey of women elected representatives through five generations of Panchayat Election after 73rd Amendment Act throws light on growing recognition of the social transformation made by women breaking the age old culture of silence.
Rural women with low literacy, lack of knowledge ,skill, absence of experience and limited exposure to interact get a platform to create their own identity.

It started at the beginning awe, shyness and fear but after locating a platform, they have revealed greater maturity in outlook, enthusiasm and increased awareness of their responsibilities (Mohapatro Jayashree, 2012 ).
It has enhanced their self confidence, articulation, leadership qualities and interface ability to put forth the development issues of their local area at higher level.

Their status has been elevated not only in the households but also in the Community (Mishra S.N et.

at, 1996).

The study of Kaushik Sushila (1995), Mohanty Bidyut (2002), Panda Snehalata (1996) in Odisha highlighted the positive impact of reservation of women elected representatives.
A number of women have challenged their roles as care – givers by entering into the public domain, have gained prestige and become the role models for other women.

Although it is difficult to measure how these experiences are impacted on the women on their personal lives, it is known that through participation in Panchayati Raj they have acquired a critical gender consciousness.

Women in large numbers are not only attending, but increasingly participating in the Gram Sabha.
The attendance of women in Gram Sabha was abysmally low because they 138 were not informed about the date, time and venue and agenda of Gram Sabha.

No effort was taken by GPs to disseminate the information.

But gradually there is an increase in the participation of SHG members in Gram Sabha due to the mobilisation of women elected representatives.
Women centric issues are increasingly becoming the focus of panchayat agendas and practical gender needs are becoming a point of deliberation in the Panchayat meetings.

Another positive stride of increased representation of women is change in the conventional agenda.

The major content of discussion in Gram Sabha (Village Meeting) was selection of beneficiaries, labour leader, repair , maintenance and development of infrastructure and implementation of different schemes and programme.
Issues relating to social development or human capital were seldom discussed earlier but there is a gradual shift in the agenda of discussion.

The attention of Panchayati raj Institutions is now shifted to practical gender needs such as water facility, sanitation, social security, health, education, health, sanitation and drinking water facilities and similar other problems.
Such issues received hardly any attention during Panchayat discussions mainly because there was no women member to raise such issues.

As the women members acquire confidence and feel empowered, problems like prohibition, child marriages, and domestic violence find important place in the agenda of panchayat deliberations (Pillai, 2005).

Competence of women representatives is on rise.

They have started exhibiting enhanced capability in conducting Panchayat meetings and discharging responsibilities.
Elected women representatives are slowly and steadily gaining confidence in convening and conducting the regular meetings of Panchayati raj institutions.

Continuous need based training, exposure visits organised by State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayati raj as well as peer learning has a strong impact in their capacity building.

(Sutra Consultancy 139 2014) They are trying to perceive their role and responsibilities with a greater degree of dedication sincerity and honesty.
Stumbling blocks on the path of gender equity: A plethora of literature highlighted on glaring inequality on the basis of gender where women do not have an equitable share in decision making.

They are marginalized in all aspects of life because of various factors.

Internal factors: It has been alleged twenty five years crossed since the 73rd Constitutional amendment but still the women are subject to political alienation on account of their skewed public exposure and experience.
Lack of knowledge, skill, attitude, low educational attainment, lack of confidence, ,typical Indian feminine attribute of sacrifice are some of the personal factors responsible for the dependency of women elected representatives on their husband or other male members and attributed to their low and limited participation in Panchayat raj institutions.
External factors Patriarchal influence, inadequate family support, socio- economic and political background, traditional socio- cultural norms, caste , negative public opinion, socialisation process, political interference, relegation to the areas traditionally perceived as more suitable for women are the major societal factors that assign more prominent roles to men in local self governance as compared to women At the organizational level, gender disparities in terms of access to education, training and development, gender mainstreaming, inadequate budgetary allocations, lack of gender-friendly policies and practices like indifferent attitude of officials and other male colleagues, absence of women from important decision-making bodies, lack of mentoring and networking were identified as major barriers 140 Conclusion and Suggestions There is a need towards engendering the mechanism of local self governance at different levels.
Few strategies in this regard has been suggested i) ii) Emphasising on Strategic Gender Needs (SGN) along with Practical Gender Needs (PGN) - At the local level, Panchayats must recognise these diverse needs while designing any interventions and programmes because strategic needs aims to change the existing hierarchical gender relation such as discrimination, control over resources such as land, equal pay for equal work, sexual harassment, domestic violence etc.
Activities such as consciousness raising, mobilizing and organizing, developing leadership and management skills promote women’s strategic needs.

Convergence of Panchayati raj Institutions & Community Based Organisation - This approach establishes a cohesive relationship between Panchayat and institution of poor.

Panchayat can create awareness about the different schemes, rights and entitlements through the members of Self Help Group (SHG).
SHG / federations of SHG can act as an agency for better delivery of services to the poor and marginalised people.
iii) Maintaining of sex disaggregated data for effective Gram Panchayat Development Planning - Gram Panchayat has to collect sex disaggregated data from different sources for example, Anganwadi Centre can provide information on status of immunisation, malnutrition among the girls and boys under six years .It would help the GP to understand the cause of the problems and to adopt appropriate strategies.

It is recommended to focus on specific gender issues.
iv) Federating elected women representatives – Federation of elected women representatives help them 141 v) to organise and raise their issues through their association.

for gender Adequate budgetary allocation mainstreaming and development endeavour.

Last but not the least is to bring the gender equity.

There is an urgent need to change the traditional, social attitude and patriarchal values of society.
A positive attitudinal change and mental make-up of the male folk will lead to the meaningful and effective participation of women in local self governance.

“Women are increasingly seen as active agents of change the dynamic promoters of social transformations that can alter lives of both women and men” - Amartya Sen References: 1.

Mohanty, Bidyut (2002): Women & Political Empowerment ISS, New Delhi 2.
Panda, Snehalata (1996): “Emerging Pattern of Leadership among Rural Women in Odisha”, Indian Journal of Public Administration Vol.

42, No.

3 – 4 3.

Pattnaik, P (2005): “Affirmative Action and representation of weaker section”, Economic and Political Weekly, October 29 pp.

4753 – 4761.

4.

Mohapatro, Jayashree (2012): “Women in grassroots politics of Odisha: Lights & Shadows”, Women in Decentralized Governance: Approaches & Issues, Ramadevi Women’s Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar.

5.
5.

Dak, T.M & Purohit B.R (2008): “Empowerment of women through participation in Panchayati Raj Institutions: Some structural impediments and a training strategy”, A Study Report ISD.

6.

Ambedkar, S. Nagendra (2006): Role of Women in Nagendra Shilaja, Panchayati Raj, ABD Publishers, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Sen, Amartya (2005): The Argumentative Indian, Allen Lane 7.

8.

Bhasin Kamala (2001): Understanding Gender Women United, New Delhi International Centre for Research on Women, UN Women (ICRW) Local 9.
Governance for Gender Equality: A study on select districts of India, Discussion Paper.

10.

Nirmala Buch.

(1999) Women’s Experience in New Panchayats : The Emerging Leadership of Rural Women.

Occasional Papers, 35 CWDS, 11.

Rath Navaneeta (1999)“Identity search for women in India and Legislation”, in Sharada Rath and Navaneeta Rath (Ed.
), Women in India: A search for identity ,New Delhi: Anmol Publications,  142 “SHE” – THE POLITICAL LEADER (Local Governance and Women Leadership) Mainak Sarkar As per the Global Gender Gap Report 2017, India ranks 108th out of 144 countries in regards to gender parity across four thematic dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.
Women’s lives in India and the world over are circumscribed by what can be termed as five ‘Ps’ i.e., Patriarchy, Productive resources access inadequacy, Poverty, Promotion advancement insufficiency and Powerlessness.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the Women PRIs is to face and fight the evils of patriarchy and stringent societal norms for women for not being natural leaders and may be limited to a symbolic position holder.

The resistance is very much empirical and even practices by fellow women.
This often leads to non-cooperation that they primarily face on the basis of gender discrimination in performing their day to day duties.

Capacity Building is a critical factor for enhancing the effectiveness of the elected representatives of PRIs especially the women Panchayati Raj representatives.
Women who aspire for becoming effective grassroots leaders must acquire specialized knowledge and experience in order to win elections and pursue inclusive policies at the local levels and implement responsive governance.

143 Political leadership requires a long-term focus on the benefits for the people or citizen that they represent above and ahead of any personal ambitions.
Good leaders displays a combination of charisma, integrity and ability to make a decision keeping in mind the larger benefit of the people whom he/she represent.

Leadership in a political framework requires ‘statesmanship’.

This is important as they assess and direct the distribution of power and resources, build relationships with other stakeholders and make decisions that can have great impact on the well-being of the citizen.
An effective political leader will have a leadership style that focuses on coalition and building.

Accountability is crucial for effective political leadership without which there will be no respect from the followers.

Enfranchisement is one of the fundamental criterias to ensure the political rights denied to women in many countries of the world till late 19th century.
Right to vote for its women population was first done in New Zealand in 1893 followed by Australia in 1899, Finland in 1906, the Scandinavian countries in 1915 and Switzerland in 1971.

Right to vote in Soviet Russia for women was given in 1917, in UK fully in 1928 (partially in 1918), in USA in 1920, in France 1946, in Japan and China in 1947 and in India in 1950.

Evolving Leadership among Women Women Leadership is not a phenomenon of the recent years in India.
The history of women leaders in India displays the status of women in India during the different ages of civilization.

Women during the Vedic period enjoyed equal status with men life.

The Rig Veda and Upanishads mention about several learned women notably Gargi, Vachaknavi and Maitreyi.

Women in the Vedic age had their rights to education and taking their own crucial decisions such as marriage choosing her husband through Swayamvar at a matured stage.
in all aspects of 144 We find instances of women participating in administrative job in the Gupta period.

Chandragupta I, ruled the kingdom jointly with his queen Kumara Devi.

Prabhavatigupta was the daughter of Chandra Gupta II of the Gupta Empire and the wife of Rudrasena II of the Vakataka dynasty, and performed administrative duties in her kingdom.
In the 2nd century BC, Queen Nayanika was the ruler and military commander of the Satavahana Empire (kingdom mainly comprised the present-day Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra) of the Deccan region.

A lot many examples did exist in India such as Razia Sultan, was the sultan of Delhi, the Gond queen Durgavati ruled for fifteen years, Chand Bibi of Ahmednagar in 1590s, Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi, Rani Rudramma Devi of Warangal and many more.

Smt.
Smt.

Indira Gandhi was one of the most charismatic leaders in independent India.

However, the status of women in the Indian society changed during the medieval period with the changing political environment of the country where in women was made targets for exploitation.
New social practices (Sati, Purdah, Jauhar, Devdasi etc) evolved and so did social norms which to a large extent curtailed the basic needs for women empowerment in form of education, mobility, decision making and more importantly political participation.

This resulted in a sharp decline in women political representation and most importantly leadership role internalized male dominance which still exists to a larger extent.
The Status of Women in leadership positions across business, politics, and education clearly show women’s underrepresentation and it’s high time for us to think what we can do to change the status quo and act accordingly to provide equal leadership for both women and men.
As per the Global Gender Gap Report 2017, India ranks 108th out of 144 countries in regard to gender parity across four thematic 145 dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.

Women living in India and the world over are circumscribed by what can be termed as five ‘Ps’ i.e., Patriarchy, Productive resources access inadequacy, Poverty, Promotion advancement insufficiency and Powerlessness.
The U.N. Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which is considered as the Human Rights Bill of Women came into being in 1979.

India signed CEDAW on July 30, 1980 and ratified it on 9th July 1993.
This treaty upholds the following rights of women    Their right to vote in all general elections and referendums and to be elected to general assemblies Their right to participate in the formulation and implementation of governmental policies and to hold public offices Their right to participate in non-governmental and socio- political organization.
Paradigm Shift in the Post – Independence era In the post-independence era it was found that no serious effort being made for bringing women in the purview of political participation.

The struggle to enact the Women’s Reservation Bill, which would allot 33% of seats in state legislatures and parliament for women, continues without getting much emphasis from the political parties.
Women’s political participation after independence was largely constrained by social norms shaping opportunities and perceptions of women’s involvement in politics.

Women’s involvement in the political scenario was restricted to those being connected to political families and / or similar connections rather than with whom 146 having interest, eligibility, knowledge and capability.
The following table gives an illustration of the existing scenario for women’s political representation in the Lok Sabha over the years in India.

Sl No 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 Year of Election Total Nos.
of Seats Women % of women Representation representation 1952 1957 1962 1967 1971 1977 1980 1984 1989 1991 1996 1998 1999 2004 2009 2014 Source: Election Commission of India Local Governance in Odisha The Odisha Gram Panchayat Act 1948 was the first legislation prescribing the constitution, power, and functioning of Gram Panchayats in the state.
In 1961, the three-tier system of PRIs was established in the state.

The Odisha Zilla Parishad Act was enacted in 1959 and was subsequently amended as the Odisha Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad Act 1959 in 1961.

After the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992, Odisha has suitably amended the existing laws relating to 147 Panchayats.

Odisha also falls under the purview of the Panchayat Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.
The state has districts, which either fall partially or completely under this act.

Odisha also has a large tribal population, which consists of Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) who are on the lowest rung of the development index.

Reservations for SCs and STs in Panchayats are made in accordance with their percentage in the population.

Odisha has made provisions for 50 per cent reservations for women in PRI tiers.
Odisha also has Gramasabhas and Pallisabhas at the village and ward levels respectively.

There are at least six Gramasabhas and one Pallishabha conducted in each Gram Panchayat in a financial year.

State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PR) is the nodal agency for the training of Panchayati Raj elected representatives, departmental officials and panchayat support functionaries working under the direction of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department.
Women Leadership In Panchayati Raj System in Odisha Albeit the constitution guarantees equality for both men and women the scenario in the political representation seems to be a distant reality.

The need of women’s political representation got greater impetus in the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) in 1993 that introduced 33% reservation for women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
This was a revolutionary decision whereby it suddenly set a benchmark for women representation as political leaders.

Of course this representation parameter was raised from 33% in the later years to 50% in 19 states.

There are 13.45 lakhs Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) in PRIs which constitute 46.14% of total Elected Representatives (ERs) in the 148 country.

In Odisha, there is 50% reservation of women in the PRIs.
In its effort to further strengthen the cause of women political representation and participation at the grassroots, the state provisioned for ensuring the executive position to women and through rotation of the executive head positions.

There has been an increase in women representation in Odisha after every election.

Currently the women representation in Odisha PRIs is nearly 52% after the 2017 elections.
However the political representation may not imply political participation and realization of the powers and functions as public representatives.

Often the women representatives were directed by invisible male power structures in the society.

Taking individual decisions requires the courage for the women PRIs in breaking the conventional stereotypes of male dominant power structures in the political framework.
It may thus be called as reservation based participation of women in rural local self-governance system.

Challenges faced by Women Panchayat Leaders Women empowerment has become an important developmental theme among academics, social workers and policy makers in India in the recent years.

Reservations to women in the PRIs have been a progressive move by the government to ensure women political participation and have suddenly witnessed a huge increase in the number of grassroots women political leaders.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the Women PRIs is to face and fight the evils of patriarchy and stringent societal norms for women for not being natural leaders and may be limited to a symbolic position holder.

The resistance is very much empirical and even practices by fellow women.

This often leads to non-cooperation that they primarily face on the basis of gender discrimination in performing their day to day duties.
149 Many times they have not been heard or supported even if they present befitting and relevant ideas for good governance.

In many cases their male family members act politically keeping them as ornamental head.

Another important challenge for the efficient and effective grassroots leadership of Women PRIs is their capacities for performing as leaders.

Leaders may be born but great leadership may be nurtured through focused capacity building efforts or these women leaders.
Lack of capacity includes their inability to express themselves as leaders.

The age old tradition of women being political followers has created a big vacuum in women leadership specifically at the grassroots.

Young girls or women were hardly encouraged to enter political arena which were considered to be a male domain.

It’s only after the 73rd CAA that we see considerable changes in the political scenario of the PRIs.
But now we see a lot of women including young women performing very well as grassroots leaders and also to a large extent outperforming their male counterparts.

Educational status and specially higher education among Women Panchayati Raj Leaders is a major hurdle that affect their capacity to perform efficiently.
The social background from which they come, the remoteness of the places they represent, the exposure they have got in their life, the fear psychosis in dealing with public, the quality of the functionaries they have in their disposal, the administration they deal with on a day to day basis, the cooperation received from their male colleagues, the knowledge of the roles and rules of the panchayti raj system affect their performances as PRI leaders.
Strengthening political leadership for Women Panchayat Leaders The journey of Indian women as panchayat leaders is a spectacular achievement given that women had to undergo more challenges than men in achieving political aspirations because of the way they are treated socially, culturally, 150 economically and politically facing discrimination.

The government at the Center as well as the state has passed legislations for equality and mentions about gender mainstreaming.
However, often taking about women rights, entitlements and dignity is seen as a matter of W&CD department.

Political representation is correlated as participation without providing the power of decision making to the women leaders.

Capacity Building is a critical factor for enhancing the effectiveness of the elected representatives of PRIs especially the women panchayati raj representatives.
Enhancing capacities may include legal capacity, strategic capacity, institutional structure capacity, systems capacity and funds capacity as well.

Women who aspire for becoming effective grassroot leaders must acquire specialized knowledge and experience in order to win elections and pursue inclusive policies at the local levels and implement responsive governance.

During the last decade Odisha have witnessed an increasing trend for participation of women in the local political scenario.
Women panchayat leaders have shown their capabilities in terms of winning elections not just from reserved positions but also contesting male counterparts.

They have been independently performing their tasks as governance executive in one hand and emerging as inspirational leaders for achieving inclusive human developments in their constituencies.

But this is not enough and a lot has to be done.


As very well written by Robert Frost in his famous poem “Stopping by the Woods on a snowy evening” , “The woods are lovely dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And Miles to go before I sleep, And Miles to go before I sleep”- hopefully inspires us to take forward the journey of evolving grassroots women leadership in Odisha.
References 151  Capacity Assessment and Capacity Development Strategy Report for strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions in Odisha – MoPR, GoI  Women Participation in Rural Local Self - Governance System in Odisha : A Constitutional and Reservational Perspective - Dr. Benudhar Rout, N.T.
Sahu; Odisha Review – February – March 2012  The Global Gender Gap Report 2017  https://eci.nic.in/       www.in.undp.org https://www.pria.org/ http://www.sirdodisha.nic.in/ http://www.panchayat.gov.in/ https://odishapanchayat.gov.in/ http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/  152 TRANSCENDING BARRIERS, TRANSFORMING LIVES Anuradha Mohanty “Transforming lives… Creating smiles!” SHGs in India have been projected as harbinger of economic prosperity and social emancipation of women from dogmatic bondages.
These organisations, since 1990s, have been an effective vehicle, especially in providing financial intermediation solutions for unbanked rural women.

When a girl or a woman is empowered, she becomes a catalyst for positive change whose success benefits everyone around her.

Social, political and economical empowerment of women is one of the core activities of PECUC, a reputed civil society organization.
In the beginning, around 1991-92, PECUC started forming women groups in Balianta Block of Khordha district.

It took around two and half years to form the groups & open bank accounts of 13 women self help groups.

These groups impacted the formation of more than hundred groups in few years in this area.

There were a lot of issues for women like coming out of house, to talk to them freely and to seat in a place outside their home.
We had to first interact with the male members of the family to talk to the women group members.

While opening the bank account even the women group members faced many constraints.

Through intervention of NABARD we were able to convince the bankers and finally opened their bank accounts.

It was also difficult for women to save Rs.

5 per month.

Then they started keeping handful of rice & at the end of the month they sold it that gave them a calculated savings of Rs 20-25 per head.
Slowly, the movement 153 took up.

After intensive training and continuous interaction, the women came out and started forming groups & by 2001 we were able to form 118 women self help groups in Balianta block, and by the end of 2014, PECUC was successful in promotion of 348 women self-help groups in its operational areas of Khordha, Keonjhar and Balasore districts, having 4191 women members with Rs.

1,36,01,881 savings in different banks.


In the year 1991-92, when PECUC started facilitating the formation of women SHGs in Balianta Block of Khordha district, it took 2 years to promote 15 groups in 13 villages.

These women self help groups are not only involved in thrift and credit management but also actively engaged in supplementing the family against violence on women.

Remarkable changes have been observed since then.


Women have come forward to solve the problems of their families and neighbours on their own.

They have become the pioneer in activities like anti liquor movement, education for girls and increasing access of poor people to various poverty alleviation programmes of the Govt, stopping child marriage and child labour, reproductive child health, nutrition, organic farming, etc.
There are today dedicated autonomous organisations like State Rural Livelihoods Missions which, nurture SHG initiatives with the support of NGOs.

The fundamental purpose of SHG movement was to bring about change in the lives of poor by providing access to finance along with awareness among members about the interplay of socio-economic factors that will help them addressing downward spirals of poverty.
However, there has been no conclusive evidence to prove that SHGs have achieved their goals in terms of improving their social capital, improving awareness about rights as citizens and their ability participate in collective action against social evils.

She explains that when a woman gets access to finance, she can either start her own economic activity or invest in existing activities.

This can directly increase her income and bring about potential increase in her assets.
Alternatively, she could use the finance for her household well-being such as 154 better food for the family or better education for her children, which results in increasing her status in her family.

A combination of women‘s increased economic activity and increased decision making in the household over a period of time could make her socially and politically active.

She could thereby be a positive contributor to change in society.
Hence from individual empowerment through micro finance it is potentially possible that she make significant contributions by increasing her visibility as agents of economic growth and economic actors in policy decisions.

SHGs emerge as an important strategy for empowering women and in alleviating poverty.
The SHGs have enhanced the status of women in decision making and beneficiaries on the democratic, economic, social and cultural spheres of life and sensitized the women members to take active part in socio-economic progress of rural India.

SHGs in social change imply not only the change of outer form of a community or a society but also in the social institutions as well as ideas of the people living in that society.
Empowerment is not essentially political alone; it is a process having economic, social and cultural dimensions with personal empowerment being the core of the empowerment process.

In fact political empowerment will not succeed in the absence of economic and social empowerment.
The scheme of micro-financing through SHGs create empowerment promoting conditions for women to move from positions of marginalisation within household decision making process and exclusion within community, to one of greater participation.

The social processes of micro financing programmes strengthens women’s self esteem and self confidence, instill a greater sense of awareness of social and political issues leading to increased mobility and reduced traditional seclusion of women.
The political as well as economic empowerment will not succeed in the absence of women education in skills and vocations they require the most.

Key instruments for supporting women’s empowerment are self-help groups, whereby mostly 155 poor women, come together to contribute for their progress.

Inclusion of voice is regarded as another key factor.

A majority of micro finance programmes target women for empowering them.

There are underlying motivations for pursuing women’s empowerment.
Some argue that women are amongst the poorest and the most vulnerable of the under privileged and thus helping them should be priority.

Whereas, other believe that investing in women’s capabilities empowers them to make choices but it also contributes to greater economic growth and development.

It has been well established that an increase in women’s resources results in the well-being of the family, especially children.
Laxmipriya Sahoo, Ward Member, of Bainchua Panchayat, Balianta Block, Khordha, aged around 40 years, belongs to OBC group.

She intervened into a marriage and stopped it as the bride and groom were minors.

Anima (real name hidden), a 17 years old girl of Balianta Block, Khordha district was studying +2 in Balakati College.

A fellow student from Pipili fell in love with her.

He then started bothering her in college and on social media.

Frightened of this, Anima informed her parents about it.
Her parents went to the boy’s house to talk to his parents regarding this.

But they had exchange of words and threatened them.

The incident shook the girl and her family.

She got scared to go out.

Seeing this, her parents decided to get her married to the son of one of their distant relatives from Balakati.

They got engaged and the boy who used to bother her got the news of this.

The boy then informed about this to the DSWO as the girl was underage.

The marriage was to happen on 19th April 2018.


PECUC’s team got information about this & informed CDPO of Balianta Block.

Then PECUC team along with CDPO talked with the Sarpanch and Ward members of the girl’s village to be present in the fact finding team.

But Sarpanch hesitated and requested to stay away from it.

The Sarpanch was scared that if this incident was disclosed to public it will bring shame to their village so he assured to handle it in his own way.
But Laxmipriya and the Ward Members joined the team.

They sat down with both the families and informed them about the laws 156 related to child marriage.

The girl’s parents informed that the girl is already traumatized because of the previous incident and has become depressed and making suicidal attempt.

If the marriage breaks then she might do any harm to her own life.

The team and others got shocked hearing this.

So they decided to counsel the girl.


They assured her that the boy will no longer bother her and also the marriage will definitely happen once she turns 18.

This brought a change in her mind and she promised that she will wait to marry till she turns 18.

Then the parents were made to sign a declaration that although the families can have a usual relationship but the parents will not try or force the girl to get married before she turns 18.
And she can marry the guy she got engaged with if she wants she married after she turned 18 years.

Sabita Bhoi, Ward member of village Saleswar, Balianta Gram Panchayat of Balianta Block, Khordha Districts of Odisha is also a member of Alibha Federation.

Earlier she didn’t know anything about Gram Panchayat.

In 2017 Panchayat election villagers asked her to stand in the Election.

She is a poor lady and only daughter of her parents.

Her father passed away when she was a child.


She and her mother were living in a difficult situation.

Her mother arranged a marriage for her at Berhampur.

After 2 years of the marriage she had a daughter.

They named her Rashmi because she thought that her daughter would bring light in her life.

After the birth of her daughter, her husband left her.

She has not received any information about him.


Her mother and she worked as daily wage workers in different household and gave her daughter a formal education.

Today she is doing +3 arts.

She then diverted her attention towards the responsibility of Panchayat.

In her village a 16 years old girl named Anu Das (Fake Name) fled away with an ST boy of snake charmer community (Kela).

Sabita along with the villagers searched for her, failing which they lodged an FIR in the Police Station.
Police searched for them and found them in an objectionable position.

They were brought to Balianta PS.

There was a compromise.

In front of the authority an undertaking was signed by both the parents of the boy and girl.

It was decided 157 that the girl will remain with her parents house till she attains the age of 18 and will marry the boy after she attains the age of 18.

She will not be subjected to any kind of mental torture from both sides during the intervening period.
The marriage of the girl with boy was postponed for appropriate time.

She got full- fledged help and cooperation from PECUC and the ward member in this endeavour.

Today she is doing +3 arts.

Jhuna Mallick, belonging to SC community, is working as the Ward Member at Kothapatana, Balianta block, Khordha.

She has studied upto 5th class.

Her father died when she was a child.

Jhuna’s mother got her married early at the age of 15 and was a housewife for 13 years.
Her husband is a daily labourer; some days he gets work and some days he doesn’t.

Thus, it becomes difficult to manage the livelihood of their family.

So, she became a member of SHG and took a loan to open a grocery shop in front of her house.

The money that comes from the shop is spent on her kids’ education.

When her husband has no work, he helps her.

Even though Jhuna is not very educated, she manages everything.

She loves helping her community for which the community loves her a lot.
Jhuna has been involved with PECUC’s activities since 2015.

In 2017, Panchayat Election, the ward no.

16 had a woman reserved seat, so the Women Rights Committee decided to enrol Jhuna Mallick to stand in the election from that ward.

Although her family was a bit sceptical about the decision, she agreed to contest the election.

Two other women were also contesting against her.

On moral grounds, she didn’t want to go against the women of her community, she decided to withdraw from the election.
However, the people persuaded her not to withdraw her candidature.

Many rumours were spread about her but she kept calm and won the election by 130 votes.

On March 10th, 2017, she took her oath to see her village as her family and promised development, but she didn’t know how and where to start from.

PECUC lend out a helping hand.

She took part in the 3-day leadership development training.

She 158 attended all the panchayat meetings but she hesitated to voice her thoughts.
She came to PECUC’s coordinator and discussed her problems.

Now, she speaks her mind in meeting confidently.

She conducted Palli Sabha Meeting and assessed all the issues and presented them in the Gram Sabha Meeting.

PECUC, then gave training on finance management, which she attended.

With time, her enthusiasm to work for the community increased.

She walks 5 km from her home to the panchayat office every day.

She took up a lot of work in 2017-18.


The school had in their village had only one tube-well and it wasn’t working properly.

She provided water supply to the school.

She also helped Manju Das get the widow pension scheme and also helped Subhalaxmi Mallick to get the PMAY house.

She also provided toilets to 2 families and enrolled 4 families under the BPL scheme.

She helped 4 families of the deceased get Rs.

2000 each under the Harishchandra Yojana.


She did all this with the help of the Panchayat Fund.

Apart from this, she is also a member of GKS and holds meeting every month.

She also used the Panchayat Fund to construct a dustbin.

She is also a member in Kanchilo School SMC.

She visits the school and AWC twice or thrice every week.

She monitors the education and the MDM food provided in the school.

We are proud of her and the accomplishments that she has achieved in this short term.
Mamina is living in a joint family.

She has two children and her husband is a labourer.

After winning the election in 2017, she had been working for the public and gradually loosing fear and gaining confidence.

She had attended every meeting and seminars of PECUC.

She had gained many new ideas which inspire her to perform her duty efficiently.

There was a child marriage in her ward; it was protested by other ward members of his Block.
It gives her much pleasure when she abolished of the child marriage.

The villagers were very happy with the decisions taken by her.

A person named Banamali Bhoi was 159 living in her ward.

Ten years back his son was married to a girl Sumitra Bhoi from Bhagalpur.

This girl was escaped from his father’s house.

So she didn’t bring any dowry from her father’s house.

Her husband was a labourer.

She was continuously tortured and harassed by her husband.

Her father-in-law also started beating her.


Sumitra silently tolerated all this.

Since last one year her husband is not working, her mother in law is suffering from paralysis and she has two children.

Her father- in-law was always putting pressure on her to bring money from her father’s house.

Without seeing any other way she borrowed Rs 10,000 from a fund and gave it to her father-in-law.

Her father-in-law purchased a motor and started selling vegetables.
After some days when she asked for the money to his father in law as she has to return the amount to the borrower, he started using slangs to her and forced both of them to live separately.

She started working outside; she worked in an apartment for Rs 3000 per month.

Once she was alone in her house her father- in-law taking the chance started severely beating her.

Hearing her shout for help, Mamina and some other people came and rescued her.
Instantly Mamina gather women member and other village people for final discussion.

Some women member didn’t come due to the threat given by Sumitra’s husband.

Then Mamina took her and informed Alibha Women organization the Women PRI Fedartion promoted by PECUC.

All the Alibha members came along with some villagers, the mater was discussed.

But Sumitra’s father-in-law not attended the meeting.

He was searched for and brought to the meeting.


Her father-in-law admitted his mistakes for beating Sumitra, torturing and harassing her.

Some agreement was made with the promise that these types of mistake should not be repeated in future.

Four copies of this agreement was made, given to Sumitra, Alibha Sangha, Ward Member and Police station one copy each.

Today, she realises the importance of Alibha Women Federation, it solved her without involving court.
Her life is safe and secure due to Mamina & Aliva Federation.
160 Apart from social issues, many income generation activities has also been carried out by the women group members that includes turmeric processing, petty shops, goatery, fishery, pisciculture, vegetable cultivation, pig rearing, poultry, badi and papad making, tailoring, essence stick, leaf plate making, rice processing, band party, floriculture, cane work, diary farming, minor forest product collection, dry fish, sheep rearing, bamboo work, pickle, ginger cultivation, duck rearing, popped rice, etc.
PECUC’s effort to build the capacity of women on different areas has resulted in building their self confidence, increasing their participation in decision making process in family and community, palli sabha & gram sabha, as well as Panchayati Raj Institutions.
PECUC is working with women panchayat functionaries of Balianta, Bolgarh block of Khordha district with The Hunger Project to enhance their capacity, continuous training, federation building of women PRIs at cluster level & Block Level, Need based training on various issues, Gram sabha & palli sabha mobilization, monitoring scheme programmes /ICDS /MDM/School programme/Sanitation, etc, environment protection activities like planting trees, campaign on end violence against women, public hearing on domestic violence cases with women commission, interface with Govt officials, changing seating arrangement at panchayat level, etc.
PECUC has opened Gender panchayat resource centre at all panchayats of Balianta block & also at Bolgarh.

This centre is managed by women PRIs of that area.

Gender Equality will only be accomplished if we are able to empower women.

The women derive a variety of benefits with their participation in SHG strategy.

The impact of SHG on women in socio-economical, education, political and self front is positive.
The participation of women in SHGs made a significant impact on their empowerment both in social and economic aspects.

Most of the women were able to increase their income level manifold and contributed to the development 161 of their family.

In the process, many of the women reported that they were participating in the financial decisions of the family, which earlier they were not allowed to do.

All the members were getting support from their family, which was not available before they joined the group.
Members express full satisfaction over their performance and want to continue their association with the groups.

It is quite interesting to observe that a few women members of the groups get elected in Panchayat.

This is definitely due to the political and self empowerment which they gain through various capacity building and awareness programmes organized by the SHGs through handholding support by PECUC.
 162 GENDER, INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNANCE: THE QUESTION OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND VIOLENCE Swarnamayee Tripathy Violence in any form, both overt and covert, physical and non-physical has an overwhelming influence on feminine identity formation.
The ubiquity of gender-specific violence both within the home and in public spaces has led to the emergence of alternative discourses where the ‘truth’ and validity of established structures, norms and roles are called into question, Particularly, the sexual violence on women in times of political, communal and ethnic strife has led to innovative analyses with regard to the role of State.
The incidents of widow immolation and strategic social exclusion of widows , witch-hunts, stripping and shaming of women - particularly those from the lower castes, often as punishment for their community’s transgressions has interrogated the public policies relating to women’s empowerment in a state.

This article proposes to analyse the nature of governance in dealing with violence against women in India.

Case analysis would be done from Odisha, an eastern Indian state.
The reasons for focusing on this state is that 70% of poor are women and half of the women belong to Scheduled Caste and Tribal communities.
Using the life cycle approach, this article argues that at every stage there is discrimination and violence, particularly against girl children and later women within the household, either natal or conjugal and within the society.The 163 analysis is to be done in the context of two sets of relations; the relationship between State and citizen and the relationship between State and communities.

The article has three sections.


In the first section efforts have been made to define violence from feminist stand point and analyse violence in the society in general and Indian society in particular.

In the second section the magnitude and dimensions of violence has been taken up.in the third section efforts have been made to explore the possibilities of having better public policy options.
Violence against women: A Conceptual Analysis Before we delve upon violence against women it is essential to understand the in-depth meaning of violence.
Violence is defined by the World Health Organization as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal- development, or deprivation”.1An analytical understanding of this definition accepted by the international community compel us to conclude that violence refers to physical as well as mental torture which is psychologically destructive and demeans, damages, or depersonalizes others.
V iolence includes threats and intimidation, neglect or acts of omission.

Such non-physical violence has a broad range of outcomes – including social exclusion and deprivation.

including those acts An important aspect of this social phenomenon is Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence.

These are, collectively, violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women expressly because they are women.
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women made by the General Assembly, 164 states that: “violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women” and that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.”2 This International Declaration further argues that some groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups, indigenous women, refugee women, migrant women, women living in rural or remote communities, destitute women, women in institutions or in detention, girl-child, women with disabilities, elderly women, widows and women in situations of armed conflict, are especially vulnerable to violence- domestic as well as communal.
Violence against women in the family and society is pervasive and cut across lines of income, class and culture.

Given these situations, it is essential to find out urgent and effective steps to eliminate its incidence.

In the light of this, there is a need for a clear and comprehensive definition of violence against women and a clear statement of the rights to be guaranteed by the state to ensure the elimination of violence against women in all its forms.
Gender-based violence is universal and no society is immune from it.

Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website that: ‘V iolence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions.

At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her.
Violent acts can be physical,sexual, psychological and emotional’.3 Women’s history is indispensable and essential to the 165 understanding of the social phenomenon, ’violence against women’.

The classical theorists, working within a religious or scientific framework, have seen women’s inferior position as natural, just and functional to society as women are the natural reproducers of life.

Marxist literature give a radical critique of the widely prevalent notion of women’s natural inferiority.
They are of the opinion that women’s inferior position began with private property and patriarchal families.

The feminist literature advocate that ‘gender’ not ‘sex’ is a cultural construct in a patriarchal society based on the pattern of division of labour between men and women.

Even if there is an additional role –playing by women as bread-earner in modern and post- modern societies, the culturally constructed unequal status does not change.
Domination on women and consequent violence meted out to them is a reflection of the norms of this patriarchal society.

The feminists use the term “structural violence” to describe the systematic ways in which a given social structure or institution like patriarchy kills women slowly by preventing them from meeting their basic needs, for example the sub-optimal level of personality development caused to women and girl-child because of lack of fulfillment of basic needs.
This is a ‘comprehensive concept of violence.

Gerda Lerner, in her monumental work, Creation of Patriarchy wrote that “the patriarchal mode of thought is so built into our mental processes that, we cannot exclude it unless we first make ourselves consciously aware of it which always means special effort.”4 Thus, in a patriarchal society gender-based violence is evident in a private as well public space.

In other words, it is to be located within the family and society.
Violence against women can be divided into two broad categories, namely Inter- personal violence and Collective violence.

This initial categorization differentiates between violence inflicted by another individual in a personal setting and violence inflicted by larger groups such as state, organized political groups, 166 militia groups and terrorist organizations.

These two broad categories are each divided further to reflect more specific types of violence.
Inter-personal violence against women may take two forms – violence inflicted by members of family other than the partner and intimate partner violence.

This type of violence, usually, though not exclusively, is committed at home which is the safest place for all.

Therefore, feminist literature has coined this as ‘Domestic Violence’.

Domestic Violence being gender neutral in words, is frequently & privately inflicted on women.

It may range from inflicting minor injuries to causing the death of women.
Physical torture is always accompanied by verbal threats and harassment, emotional abuse or the destruction of property as means of coercion, control, revenge or punishment, on an women with whom the abuser is involved in an intimate relationship.
A recent theory named “The Criminal Spin” suggests a mutual flywheel effect between partners that is manifested by an escalation in the violence.5 A violent spin may occur in any other forms of violence, but in Intimate partner violence the added value is the mutual spin, based on the unique situation and characteristics of intimate relationship.
Domestic violence may occur when one partner feels the need to control and dominate the other because of low self- esteem, extreme jealousy, difficulties in regulating anger and other strong emotions, or when one feels inferior to the other partner in education and socio-economic background.

All these factors lead to rising incidence of crimes against women.

It occurs in the families of every class, race or culture and is a world-wide phenomenon.
The phenomenon of Domestic V iolence is widely prevalent but has remained largely invisible in the public domain since it is committed within the closed boundaries of 167 the house.

Therefore, the state could not control it and as such all the civil and penal remedies failed to address the issue.

A WHO multi-country study found that between 15–71% of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives6.
There was growing concern among the groups of women regarding the phenomenon of domestic violence and it was thought to be more than a crime involving serious human rights issues.

Research has shown that number of HIV positive women has been increasing because of sexual violence by the intimate partner.7 The implication of such violence for a woman is that she feels reluctant very often to complain against those whom she considers to be very near and dear and part of her family.
Therefore, protective legislations could address this issue in a limited way.

On the other hand, ‘Collective Violence’ is structural in nature.

It is committed to advance a particular social agenda , for example, crimes of hate committed by organized groups, terrorist acts and mob violence.

Women is considered as the symbol of community prestige and therefore, the male members of community develop a structure with certain guidelines to regulate women’s conducts.
Deviation from this results in serious punishment for women in public like witch hunting, stripping or inflicting shame and honour killing.

India has marked a place in the world map for this type of gender- based violence.
Honour killings are especially seen in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.8Honour killings have notably increased in some Indian states which has led to the Supreme Court of India, in June 2010, issuing notices to both the Indian central government and six states to take preventive measures against honour killings.

Honour killings can be very violent.


For example, in June 2012, a father chopped off his 20-year-old daughter’s head 168 with a sword in pure rage upon hearing that she was dating a man who he did not approve of.9Honour killings can also be openly supported by both local villagers and neighboring villagers.

This was the case in September 2013, when a young couple who married after having a love affair was brutally murdered.10 War is the most extreme form of collective violence .
It is essentially political in nature.

During armed conflicts, women often experience violence, forced pregnancy, abduction, sexual abuse and slavery.

Their bodies have been used as “envelopes” to send messages to the perceived enemy.
Women do not enjoy equal status with men in any society and during armed conflict, a pre-existing culture of discrimination is often exacerbated’.11 Rape was committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War by members of the Pakistani military and the militias that supported them.

Over a period of nine months, hundreds of thousands of women were raped.

Susan Brownmiller, in her report on the atrocities, said that girls from the age of eight to grandmothers of seventy-five suffered attacks.
(See also: Rape during the Bangladesh Liberation War Inter-personal violence may also occur in the form of community violence where violence occurs between individuals who are unrelated; for example rape or sexual abuse, generally taking place outside the home.

Religious and political ideologies have been the cause of interpersonal violence throughout history.

Acid attack on women with an intention to disfigure their face is one such form of inter-personal violence.
The these attacks include blindness and permanent scarring of the face and body.

Acid attacks are often connected to domestic disputes, including dowry disputes, and refusal of a proposition for marriage, or of sexual advances.

Such attacks are common in South Asia, in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India; and in Southeast Asia, especially in Cambodia.

term consequences of long 169 Self-directed violence by women themselves appears to be self-abuse having no social consequences.
However, self – directed violence, many a times is the consequence of collective violence or intimate partner violence which compel a woman to cause harm to herself as she lacks confidence to fight out the situation.

Thus, it is not a conceptual mistake if we construe this type of violence as ‘social violence’.

Violence against women across cultures has taken many forms.
Some of the forms of violence against women perpetrated by individuals are rape; domestic violence; sexual harassment; coercive use of contraceptives; female infanticide; prenatal sex selection; and mob violence; as well as harmful customary or traditional practices such as honour killings, dowry violence, female genital mutilation, acid attacks, ,marriage by abduction and forced marriage etc.
Some forms of violence are perpetrated or condoned by the state such as war rape; sexual violence and sexual slavery during conflict; forced sterilization; forced abortion; violence by the police and authoritative personnel; stoning and flogging.

Many forms of VAW, such as trafficking in women and forced prostitution are often perpetrated by organized criminal networks.

Marital rape, also known as spousal rape, is non- consensual sex perpetrated by the victim’s spouse.
Once widely condoned or ignored by law, spousal rape is now repudiated by international conventions and increasingly criminalized.

Traditional understanding and views of marriage, rape, sexuality, gender roles and self determination have been challenged recently.

The custom of dowry, which is common in South Asia, especially in India, triggers many forms of violence against women.
Bride burning is a form of violence against women in which a bride is killed at home by her husband or husband’s family due to his dissatisfaction over the dowry or bride price provided by her family.

Dowry death refers to the phenomenon 170 of women and girls being killed or committing suicide due to disputes regarding dowry.

Dowry violence is common in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
In India, in 2011 alone, the National Crime Records Bureau reported 8,618 dowry deaths, while unofficial figures suggest the numbers to be at least three times higher.12 According to Amnesty International, “some women have been sexually abused” and were targeted “not just because they are women, but because they are living alone and are economically independent.” Stalking is another form of gender-based violence which is often manifested through persistent harassment, intimidation, or following/monitoring of the victim.
Sexual harassment is one such violence which is committed to outrage the modesty of women .

Many a time, women experience such type of violence in work-places.

Women and children are the worst sufferers of the practice of human trafficking and prostitution.
The WHO states that: “Current evidence strongly suggests that those who are trafficked into the sex industry and as domestic servants are more likely to be women and children.”13 A 2006 study in Europe on trafficked women found that the women were subjected to serious forms of abuse, such as physical or sexual violence, which affected their physical and mental health.
Because of the illegal nature of trafficking, reliable data on its extent is very limited.13 In some parts of the world, widows are subjected to serious forms of abuse, often fueled by their inheritance rights.

The sacrifice of widows as sati was prevalent in India earlier.

Today it is an almost defunct practice.

isolated incidents have occurred in recent years, such as the 1987 sati of Roop Kanwar.
as well as several incidents in rural areas in 2002, and 2006.14 Social exclusion of widows in India has forced them to migrate to holy cities like Haridwar, Brindavan, Puri and Tirupati for livelihood.15 Forced sterilization and forced abortion are forms of 171 gender-based violence.

Forced sterilization has occurred throughout much of the world, both at the hands of the state and from intimate partners.
Studies show forced sterilizations often target socially and politically disadvantaged groups such as racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, and indigenous populations.

Son-preference and the practice of Female foeticide has prompted the violence of forced abortion Human rights violations perpetrated by police and military personnel in many countries target women.

It is a standard procedure for police to force entry into the victim’s home even after the victim’s numerous requests for them to go away.
Government agencies often disregard the victim’s right to freedom of association.

it is a common form of violence with sex workers.
On September 24, 2015, the United Nations Broadband Commission released a report which claimed that almost 75% percent of women online have encountered harassment and threats of violence, otherwise known as cyber violence.16 The World Health Organization (WHO), in its research on VAW, categorized it as occurring through five stages of the life cycle: “1) pre-birth, 2) infancy, 3) girlhood, 4) adolescence and adulthood and 5) elderly”17 Table-1:Throughout the life cycle Type of violence Sex-selective abortion; effects of battering during pregnancy on birthOutcomes Female infanticide; physical, sexual and psychological abuse Child marriage; female genital mutilation; physical, sexual andpsychological abuse; incest; child prostitution and pornography Phase Pre-birth Infancy Girlhood Adolescence 172 and adulthood Elderly Dating and courtship violence (e.g.
acid throwing and date rape); economically coerced sex (e.g.
school girls having sex with “sugar daddies” in return for school fees); incest; sexual abuse in the workplace; rape; sexual harassment; forced prostitution and pornography; trafficking in women; partner violence; marital rape; dowry abuse and murders; partner homicide; psychological abuse; abuse of women with disabilities; forced pregnancy Forced “suicide” or homicide of widows for economic reasons; sexual,physical and psychological abuse Thus, Patriarchy as a social institution is universal in nature.
It perpetuates its control over women through its institutions that has been legitimized by the state apparatus in different nations.

It is reluctant to offer substantive freedom to women which will ultimately create necessary conditions for the emancipation of women from socio-cultural constraints and allow her to participate in the process of decision-making in society.

Gender-based violence is a direct consequence of this.
Human rights violations arising out of these social structures need careful analysis.

Gender and Violence: Women are victims of general crimes such as robbery, cheating, murder etc.

In addition to this, women also experience crimes that are especially targeted against them.

Women of all ages in all societies encounter gender-based crimes and violence.

These are called crimes against women.

India has been in the global news for increasing crimes against women.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, reported incidents of crime against women increased 6.4% 173 during 2012, and a crime against a woman is committed every three minutes.18 Uttar Pradesh contributes 10.9 % to the total crimes against women followed by West Bengal,Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Assam.

19 Odisha is 7th among the states having a total number of 17144 crimes and contributes 5.2% to the total crimes committed against women across India in 2015.
What is more disconcerting for the people of Odisha is neighbouring states Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are better off as far as crimes against women are concerned.

The white paper on crime situation in the state for 2015 states that Crime against women has gone up substantially in the state.

The State police had registered as many as 2,286 cases in 2015 against 2,011 in 2014, 1,832 in 2013 and 1,458 in 2012 despite the state government’s claim to have taken several steps to tackle crime against women.
Of the 2,286 cases registered in 2015 as many as 2,248 cases were found to be true.

The police had filed chrgesheets in 1481 of those cases , according to the white paper 2016 of Government of Odisha.Of the 2,011 rape cases registered in 2014 as many as 1,949 cases were found to be true after investigation.

The police had been able to file chargesheets in 1,230 of those cases, according to the white paper.

Rape & Dowry cases India is known for her dowry-deaths across the world.
Reports state that in every 77minutes a woman is burnt for want of dowry.

The states with a higher number of rape cases registered are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh tops the chart with 4,391 rape cases registered in 2015, according to the NCRB report.

2251 rape cases were registered in Odisha in 2015.


Apart from rape, Odisha in 2015 also registered 6,499 cases of assault on women with intent of outraging modesty, 356 dowry death cases, 886 sexual harassment cases, 2,587 cases of kidnapping 174 and abduction of women and 225 cases of stalking, said the NCRB report.

Police statistics reveal that 87 rape cases were registered in Bhubaneswar, the state capital, in 2015 as compared to 72 in 2014.

Around 68 per cent of the victims were minors.


Table-2: Crimes against women in Odisha:(2010-2015) Type of crime Rape Torture related to non-dowry cases Dowry Dowry related murder Dowry related suicide Dowry torture 2378 2501 3054 3489 3366 3634 Dowry related cases during 2015 also increased to 6016 from 5518 in 2014.
While dowry related murder decreased marginally from 615 cases in 2014 to 608 in 2015, dowry related suicide cases increased to 76 during the year compared to 68 in 2014.

Cases of dowry torture spiralled upward to 3634 last year compared to 3366 in 2014.Cases of torture on women not related to dowry also increased from 1469 in 2014 to 1698 in 2015.

The Department of Home Affairs, Odisha provides the following stastistics.20 i.
In the year 2015, 608 cases of dowry homicide were registered, out of which, 342 cases have been charge sheeted, 2 cases ended as Final Report True, 9 cases 175 ii.

iii.

iv.

ended as FRMF/ML, and 3 cases returned as False and remaining 252 cases are under investigation.

In the year 2015, 76 cases of dowry suicide were registered, out of which, 53 cases have been charge sheeted, 1 case ended as FRMF/ML and remaining 22 cases are under investigation.
In the year 2015, 3634 cases of dowry torture were registered, out of which 2036 cases have been charge sheeted, 11 cases closed as FRT, 36 cases ended as FRMF/ML, 19 cases ended as False and 9 cases closed for different reasons and remaining 1523 cases are under investigation.
In the year 2015, 1698 cases of non-dowry torture were registered, out of which 1035 cases have been charge sheeted, 2 cases closed as FRT, 15 cases ended as FRMF/ ML, 13 cases ended as False, 7 cases closed for different reasons and remaining 626 cases are under investigation.

Odisha is fifth among the 36 states and Union territories in the country in terms of the number of rape cases registered in 2015.
The number of cases of rape, considered one of the most violent forms of crime, increased to 2,251 in the state in 2015 from 1,978 in 2014.

In 2014, Odisha was sixth among 35 states and Union territories in the number of rape cases registered.

The report says that of the 2,251 cases of rape in the state in 2015, the accused in 1,924 cases were known to the victims.

This is quite evident from the data given below.
Table-3: Offenders’ relation and proximity to rape victim(2015) Offender’s relation to rape victim Odisha Total rape cases reported Offenders were known to victim 2251 1924 India 34771 33098 176 Grand Father/Father/brother Close family member Relatives Neighbour Employer/co-worker Live-in partner Known persons on promise to marry Other known persons Offenders not identified by victim 0 51 73 117 11 26 726 920 375 488 891 1788 9508 557 705 7655 11506 1553 Source: Crimes in India Report,2015, National Crime Record Bureau, Published on 30.8.2016 The National Crime Record Bureau report reveals that cases registered in 2015 included complaints from parents of 1,052 minors.
The alleged rape of four-year-old girl at a private school in Gangapada on the city outskirts on August 25 has shaken the residents here, especially parents.
Table-4: Victims of rape under different age-group( 2015) No.of Rape cases reported in different age-group Odisha India 0-Below 6years 6-Below 12years 12-Below 16 years 16-Below 18years 18-Below 30years 30-Below 45years 45-Below 60years 60 years & above 06 28 374 644 884 278 36 01 451 1151 4244 5547 16966 5677 637 98 177 Total Victims Source: Crimes in India Report,2015, National Crime Record Bureau, Published on 30.8.2016 34771 2251 451 cases of rape committed to the girl child of less than 6years and 1151 cases of rape committed to less than 12 years of girls is indicative of the societal mindset in the state.
V iolence against girls is also pandemic in our society.

Undoubtedly, there would be some more cases where the parents might have preferred not to report.

It is a shame on us that we are unable to give protection to our daughters.

Odisha now features among the top seven states that recorded maximum cases of gang-rape in the country - with 1,978 rapes and 82 gang-rapes registered in 2014.
Crimes against women on the rise in Odisha.21 Domestic Violence Indian society is yet to free itself from the clutches of patriarchal moorings.
A research study reveals that 65% of Indian men believe women should tolerate violence in order to keep the family together, and women sometimes deserve to be beaten.22 In January 2011, the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) Questionnaire reported that 24% of Indian men had committed sexual violence at some point during their lives.22 The White Paper on Crimes released by the Government of Odisha in 2016 report that 42 per cent of women, between 15 to 49 years age are subjected to either physical or sexual violence in the state.
Though only 461 cases have been registered under PWDV Act in 2015, the cases of cruelty by husband and his relatives amounts to 113403.

This is indicative of the grave situation in which the daughters of India are living in.

State, Violence and Women’s Rights 178 The human rights approach to violence against women strongly argues for the obligations of states to respect, protect and ensure human rights and therefore to prevent, eradicate and punish violence.
It recognizes violence as a violation of many human rights: the rights to life, liberty, autonomy and security of the person; the rights to equality and non- discrimination; the rights to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; the right to privacy; and the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
These human rights are enshrined in international and regional treaties and national constitutions and laws, which stipulate the obligations of states, and include mechanisms to hold states accountable.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, for example, requires that countries party to the Convention take all appropriate steps to end violence against women.

India is a signatory to all such international conventions.
As per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, “Police” and “Public Order” are State subjects and, as such the primary responsibility of prevention, detection, registration, investigation and prosecution of crime lies with the States/ Union Territory Administrations.

Therefore, approach of the states to Crime against women needs a relook.

This paper examines the role of the state and institutions in this direction in three ways: 1.

2.
2.

3. performance of the law and order maintaining machinery efficacy of courts in delivering justice executive actions to eradicate violence against women Police force of a state is instrumental in identifying and punishing the wrong doer and giving respite to the victim.

Effectiveness of this institution generates faith of people in 179 Governance.

Our analysis from the Table-5 reveals that Police is very casual in preparing the charge sheets which ultimately result in delayed justice to the victims.
For example, a total of 6016 cases of dowry were registered in the State in 2015 and charge sheets had been filed only in 3466 such cases.

Further, as many as 608 cases of murder relating to dowry were registered in 2014 in the State and charge sheets had been filed in 327 cases.

Similarly, 68 cases of suicide relating to dowry torture were registered during 2014 and charge sheets had been filed in 37 of those cases, according to the white paper 2015 released by the Home Department, Government of Odisha.
As regards cases pertaining to sexual harassment of women, 3,366 cases of dowry torture were registered in 2014 and charge sheets had been filed in 1,740 of those cases.

Besides, a total of 1,469 cases of torture not relating to dowry were registered in 2014 and charge sheets had been filed in 869 of those cases, according to the white paper.22 The table given below gives a picture of cases pending in either the police station or the courts in India.
Table-5: Percentage of cases pending with police or in Courts during 2015 Crime Rape Attempt to commit rape Kidnapping Dowry death Sexual assault on women Insult to modesty of wome (Sexual harassment, voyeurism and stalking) No.of Cases 34651 4437 59277 7634 82422 % of cases % of cases pending in pending the courts by police 31.8 31.4 41.1 34.3 28.1 86.2 84.8 89.2 87.4 86.3 42644 36.0 84.0 180 Cruelty of husband/his relatives 113403 Importation of girls Abetment of suicide Crimes under dowry prohibition Act Indescent representation of women Commission of Sati Crimes under PWDV Act Immoral Traffic Act Total victims 06 4060 9894 40 0 461 2424 3,27,394 31.5 56.7 38.9 40.5 51.9 0 22.1 33.2 33.3 89.3 95.5 87.9 88.3 83.6 0 94.3 87.2 88 Source: Crimes in India Report,2015, National Crime Record Bureau, Published on 30.8.2016 It has been observed that 86.2% of rape cases are pending before the courts in India.
94.3 % cases of domestic violence have not been disposed by the courts.

87.2% of trafficked victims are waiting for justice.

Police has been able to frame charge sheets only in case of two-third of the cases.

Custodial rape is a reflection of the attitude of the agents of the state.

The place supposed to be the safest for women turns out to be unsafe only because of lack of respect in men who happens to be the officials of the state , towards women.

In 2015, 95 such cases were committed in India.


“While six rape cases are reported every day, there are amazingly only six convictions in a year in the state of Odisha.

It means the rate of conviction is abysmally lower than the rate of crime.

Such a shocking indicator speaks volumes about the inefficiency of the state government,” said leader of opposition Narasingh Mishra in the floor of the State Assembly “It is a normal trend, nothing alarming.
The crime figure 181 against women is much less than in states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,” Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjeev Marik told IANS.

He argued that rise in population was directly proportional to the crime rate.

PWDV Act 2005 is a milestone in Indian history to provide protection to women from Domestic Violence.

This is a civil law which gives an opportunity for the aggrieved woman to pray for relief orders as prescribed in the Act.
Through the Act affected women are entitled to protection, interim protection, right to residence, monetary relief and maintenance, compensation,custody of children and free legal aid service.
Table-6: Data sheet on DIRs lodged with Protection Officers during 2014 District Angul Balasore Baragarh Bhadrak Bolangir Boudh Cuttack Deogarh Dhenkanal Gajapati Ganjam Jagatsinghpur Jajpur Jharsuguda Kalahandi Kandhamal Kendrapara Keonjhar Khorda Total domestic Violence cases reported 14 11 15 76 05 01 213 16 32 08 19 19 14 28 04 05 17 56 128 182 Koraput Malkangiri Mayurbhanj Nawarangpur Nayagarh Nuapada Puri Rayagada Sambalpur Subarnapur Sundargarh Total 24 16 37 36 51 04 26 03 05 03 05 891 Source: Status Report on implementation of PWDV Act,2005, compiled by State Resource Centre for Women,Women & Child Development Department, Odisha,2016 The data given in Table-6 reveals that reporting of domestic violence cases are very few .In a year we have only 891 cases reported.
It means, many of the cases go unreported.

However, the surprising fact is that highest number of cases have been reported from the district of Cuttack followed by Khordha, These two districts have higher literacy and are more developed.

It may prompt us to conclude that education is directly proportional to use of law for one’s protection.
According to the Domestic violence act, any act/conduct /omission/commission that harms or injures or has the potential to harm or injure, will be considered as domestic violence.

Under this the law considers physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological and economic abuse or threats of the same.

Even a single act of commission or omission may constitute domestic violence, in other words, women do not have to suffer a prolong period of abuse before taking resources to the law.
Many scholarly articles suggest that the VAW is considered as a violation of human rights as well as “public health issue”.

Therefore, more sensitization of the population will result 183 in better implementation of the PWDV Act.

Government of Odisha has organized training programmes for Counselors, protection officers, Service providers and Legal functionaries at the Judicial academy time to time.
The service providers under the Act are Short Stay Homes, Swadhar Homes, Family Counseling Centre and Ujjawala Homes.

The training modules covered topics such as gender concept, genesis and the features of the PWDV Act, role of different stakeholders under the Act, psycho-social counseling for women in distress, standard of care for shelter homes, understanding Domestic Incident Report, legal provisions under the Act and showing of short films on violence against women and cases of empowerment of women.
Different case studies are prepared in an audio-visual mode and the spots are telecast in Doordarshan for public awareness.

In order to sensitize the police officers at the ground level towards offences against women, CID, Crime Branch compiled a Compendium on Crime against Women.

The Compendium contains the following: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Recent amendment of IPC/Cr.P.C.


Crime Branch Circular No.12/2012 regarding implementation of “Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012” Police Circular Order 338/2013 pertaining to prompt investigation and prosecution of crime against women.
Police Circular Order 343/2013 regarding Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) pertaining to prompt investigation and prosecution of crime against women Necessary instructions regarding Prompt investigation and submission of charge sheet within sixty days and extension of time in exceptional and specific cases have been mentioned 184 in the SOP.23 However, in order to curb atrocities on women, the state government had initiated several measures; a special wing had been functioning in the Odisha Police styled as Human Rights Protection Cell under the charge of an Additional DG of Police, which exclusively deals with crime against women, particularly dowry related offences like cases of dowry homicide, suicide, torture and non dowry torture and all cases registered under the SC and ST (PA) Act.
All rape and dowry related offences are being treated as Special Report Cases and their investigation at various stages are monitored by the Crime Branch.

In order to take prompt legal action on offences committed against women and to address the issue of domestic violence in the district level, six women police stations are functioning, one each at the police district headquarters of Bhubaneswar and urban police districts in Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Koraput.
“To facilitate integrated approach towards crime against women and children, the minister said in the floor of the house, 537 Mahila Sishu Desks have been set up in police stations by home department.

These institutions have been functioning in each police stations of the state to look after the redressal of all the women related grievances.

Besides, six integrated anti-human trafficking units have been set up and proposals for six more is under consideration.
The prime responsibility of the units is to detect and monitor investigation of immoral trafficking cases against women and all types of trafficking involving children and women.

For successful and prompt investigation of rape cases, the state Crime Branch has issued several guidelines from time to time.

“As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act, 2013), local committees and internal complaints committees have been constituted,” she added.
185 150 Investigative Units on Crimes against Women (IUCAW) Units have already been established to deal with the heinous crimes against women; especially Rape, Dowry Death, Acid Attack, Human Trafficking and domestic violence cases involving brutalization of women, to instill confidence and encourage women to come forward and lodge their complaints and to improve the gender ratio in the State Police forces for effective implementation of the legislations relating to women.
These units will also provide the additional functionalities of proactive policing, intelligence gathering, tackling organized crime, monitoring proper implementation of the legislative provisions, help in awareness generation and social participation in prevention of crimes against women.

Nonetheless, VAW activist movements in our country led to the introduction of many schemes for the shelter of the women in distress or trafficked women rescued.
The civil society groups engaged in this worked within the human rights frameworks.

These organisations forced their governments to accept the idea, ‘women’s rights are human rights,’.

In addition, the United Nations also plays a vital role in promoting and campaigning for the VAW movements on the international level.
For instance, in 2008, Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General had initiated and launched the campaign called “Unite To End Violence Against Women.” This campaign “calls on governments, civil society, women’s organizations, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing the global pandemic of violence against women and girls.” Moreover, this campaign also announces every 25th of the month to be “Orange Day” or “a day to take action to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls.” The first major document that highlights the recognition of violence against women as a human rights violation is the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence 186 Against Women .
It could be possible as a result of collective effort of global feminist movement.

During the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing VAW was emphasized and named as a critical concern.

Efforts to fight violence against women can take many forms and access to justice, or lack thereof, for such violence varies greatly depending on the justice system.

International and regional instruments are increasingly used as the basis for national legislation and policies to eradicate violence against women.
There is also, for instance, the South Asian Agreement on Regional Cooperation’s (SAARC) Protocol to End Trafficking in Women and Children.

[321] In 2013 the UN General Assembly passed its first resolution calling for the protection of defenders of women’s human rights.
The resolution urges states to put in place gender-specific laws and policies for the protection of women’s human rights defenders and to ensure that defenders themselves are involved in the design and implementation of these measures, and calls on states to protect women’s human rights defenders from reprisals for cooperating with the UN and to ensure their unhindered access to and communication with international human rights bodies and mechanisms.
New Challenges faced by women in accessing justice In procedural terms, women have received sympathetic concern from the governing institutions at national and international level.

But, in substantive sense, justice is delayed for women.

In many instances marital rape, forced marriage and child marriage, are not criminalized, or are illegal but widely tolerated, with the laws against them being rarely enforced.

At times crimes against women are also categorized as minor offences by the police.
They avoid to accept the FIR from the victim.

In many places, although there are laws against violence 187 on the books, many women do not know of their existence.

This is especially the case with marital rape and domestic violence.

Table 6 reveals that few cases of domestic violence which were reported in Tribal areas.

It can also be difficult to make a case of sexual assault in court, when members of the judiciary expect evidence of severe struggle and injury as determinative evidence of non-consent.
The burden of proof is placed on the victim.

Attacking and killing of women in the name of witch hunting has taken place on colossal proportion.

32 cases of witch-hunting under IPC302 has been reported in the state.

The poor, single women and widow, old, vulnerable, and social outcast women are generally the victim.
In a significant judgment in 2012, the Odisha High Court had directed the state government to bring in a legislation to check this menace and restore justice.24 The victim compensation scheme of the state is yet to reach the rightful survivor of violence Existing laws are insufficient, conflicting, and have no effect in practice.

Measures to address violence against women range from access to legal-aid to the provision of shelters and on hotlines for victims.
Despite advances in legislation and policies, the lack of implementation of the measures put in place prevents significant progress in eradicating violence against me women globally.

This failure to apply existing laws and procedures is often due to the persisting issue of gender stereotyping.

The barriers that women face in participating in the justice system as lawyers, law enforcement officers etc.

also play an important role in perpetuating a lack of concern for women victims of violence.
In war and post-conflict times, women are often denied a seat at the negotiation table despite the role they may have played in peace-building processes, thus preventing issues such as sexual violence to be pushed forward 188 on the agenda.

Measurement of the effect of these measures is also difficult due to lack of data and coordination of efforts between policy-makers and implementing partners.
Women can play a positive role in a structured decision- making institutional setting with a comprehensive concern for ‘good life’.

All conflict in the society is played out in a masculine terrain; so, women face difficulties in the entire process.26 Therefore, women having a legally sanctioned and popularly upheld protected status can contribute substantially to social development.

The state should continue to exist for the sake of good life in a substantive way.
Procedural justice will not take women too far.

What is good life, if women at every point of life encounter violence in family and society.

Thus, it is essential to identify the shackles that bound women and the persons who hold the rein.

The best strategy with the best evidence for effectiveness for domestic violence is school- based programming for adolescents to question the norms of patriarchy and inspire them to think differently.

End Notes: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.


Krug et al., ”World report on violence and health”, World Health Organization, (2002).;.

Violence against women: Definition and scope of the problem.

World Health Organization, 1, 1-3, 1997 ”General recommendations adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women”.

Un.org.

2003-12-31.. http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104.htm ”What We Do: Ending Violence against Women: Global Norms and Standards | UN Women – Headquarters”.
Unwomen.org.

Retrieved 2016-04-03.

Lerner Gerda,(1986), The Creation of Patriarchy, Oxford University Press, Oxford Bensimon M.; Ronel N. (2012).

“The flywheel effect of intimate partner violence: A victim-perpetrator interactive spin”.

Aggression and Violent Behavior.

17: 423–429.

WHO Factsheet ‘’V iolence against women’’.

World Health Organization (1 September 2011).

Stith SM; et al.

(2004).

“Intimate partner physical abuse perpetration and victimization risk factors: a meta-analytic review”.
Aggression 189 9.

8.

11.

12.

10. and Violent Behavior.

10 (1): 65–98.

”Honour killing: SC notice to Centre, Haryana and 6 other states”.

Times of India.

Man beheads daughter in gory Rajasthan”.

Zeenews.india.com.

17 June 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_ against_ women_in_India “India ‘honour killings’: Paying the price for falling in love”.

bbc.co.uk.
bbc.co.uk.

20 September 2013. http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/media/ publications/unifem/mediakit_eng.pdf Confronting dowry related violence in India,24 December 2012 http:/ /www.unwomen.org/ en/news/stories/2012/ 12/confronting-dowry- related-violence-in-india-women-at-the-center-of-justice Understanding and addressing violence against women: Factsheet h t t p s : / / w w w. g o o g l e .

c o .

i n / w e b h p ?


s o u r c e i d = c h r o m e - instant&rlz=2C1OPRB_enIN0536IN0536&ion= 1&espv=2&ie=UTF- 8#q=%22Understanding+and+addressing+ violence+against+ women%22+(PDF).

+Apps.who.int.+Retrieved+2016-04-03.

14.

“Arrests in Indian ritual burning”.

BBC News.

7 August 2002.

15.


Mohini Giri, V.& khanna Meera, ‘Status of Widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi: A Comparative Study’, Supported by National Commission for Women,2007;WCD Department, ‘Socio-Economic Status of Widows in Tirupati, 2009, Government of India ”cyber violence report press release UN Women – 16.

13.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

Headquarters”.

Unwomen.org.

Retrieved 2016-04-03.

Violence against women: Definition and scope of the problem.
World Health Organization, 1, 1-3.
Retrieved from http://www.who.int/ gender/violence/v4.pdf, pp.2 Crimes in India Report,2012, National Crime Record Bureau, Government of India Crimes in India Report,2015, National Crime Record Bureau, Published on 30.8.2016 http://odishapolice.gov.in/?q=node/132 The Statesman, Sep 4 2015 image: http://www.thestatesman.com / mobi/icons /thestatesman.png Hindu, MARCH 28, 2015 http://odishapolice.gov.in/?q=node/132 The judgement came out in the wake of aPIL filed on the issue of witch-hunting.
Visaria, L. (2000).

“Violence against Women: A Field Study”.

Economic and Political Weekly.

35 (20): 1742–1751.

JSTOR 4409296.

Hans Asha, ‘Of Displacement and Gendered Spaces: A Note”, South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, http://wiscomp.org/pubn/wiscomp- peace-prints/4-1/asha-hans.pdf 190  CHANGING DIMENSIONS OF RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN INDIA: A LEGAL ANALYSIS Debabrata Pani I.
Introduction “Women are the only exploited group in history to have been idealized into powerlessness.” - Karl Marx In Indian society, woman has always been viewed as living goddess1.She has been regarded as the ultimate force of the family and the ultimate protection of culture, affection, kindness and sacrifice and always catered to the interest of the family.

The status of woman and her rights were the most honoured in the earliest phases of Indian history and in the Vedic age2.
But, gradually in course of time wrongs caused by immorality in the society and the status of women turned into vulnerable.

Despite of the Constitutional and Legislative safeguards, crimes against woman have reached to gargantuan proportions in India.

The woman’s rights are violated both within the family and in society at large.

The manifestation of gender violence may differ in different socio-economic and cultural settings but its impact, intensity and consequences on woman remains the same3.
Violence against woman is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world today.

Gender based violence makes a travesty of historic declaration that woman’s rights are human 191 rights4.The common forms of violence against woman in our country are torture, bride burning, abduction and kidnapping, rape, murder, forced prostitution, sexual harassment, wife-battering, female foeticide and infanticide etc.
In this article, an attempt is made to portray different Legislations enacted to ensure the rights of woman in an informative format to make easy accessible for anybody to learn the objective, provision, penalties/punishment and instant remedial measures etc.

provided under the Legislations.

It also highlights the status of women during historical periods in brief.

II.

Rights of Women in Ancient India The status of woman is not at all a point of debate in the vedic & ancient rig vedic period.
But, with efflux of time, the situation of woman has been deteriorating day by day, together with the emergence of social scientists in different periods having diversified views.

In this way their status became more worsen and, in present situation the woman converted as the most vulnerable section of the society.

A brief analysis starting from vedic period to the post-independence period is discussed below.

Vedic Period: The Rig-Vedic society was a free society.
The Aryans evidently preferred male child to female child.

However, females were as free as their male counterparts.

Education was equally open for boys and girls.

Girls studied the Veda and fine arts.

Woman never observed purdha in the Vedic period.

They enjoyed freedom in selecting their mates.

In the family, they enjoyed complete freedom and were treated as Ardhanginis.

They were also familiar to social and political life and were played significant role in these matters.
They were allowed to attend meeting with men.

Widow was allowed to remarry.

Divorces were not permissible for male and female both.

According to Basham in his book he wrote “In Rigvedic period polygamy was not unknown.

Kings and invariably Chiefs 192 were almost polygamous, as were many Brahmins and wealthier members of lower order”5 .

In domestic life women were considered to be supreme and enjoyed freedom.

Unmarried daughters had share in their fathers’ property.
Daughter had full legal rights in the property of her father in the absence of any son.

Mother’s property, after her death, was equally divided among sons and unmarried daughters.

However, married women had no share in father’s property.

As a wife, a woman had no direct share in her husband’s property.

A widowed mother had some rights.

The woman was regarded as having an equally important share in the social and religious life because a man without woman was considered as an inadequate person.
She regularly participated in religious ceremonies with her husband.

There were many scholars who composed hymns of Rig Veda.

Lopamudra, Gargi and Maitreye were the pioneers among them.

Lopamudra, the wife of Agasti rishi, composed two verses of Rig Veda.

Later Vedic Period: This was the time when Epics, Puranas were written.

Epic age, in the history of female freedom, may be regarded as a golden age.

Women had been accorded an honourable status in the society.
Most of the female characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata were well educated.

The Ramayana illustrates the Hindu ideal women of India.

In Mahabharata we find instances where women gave counsel and advice to men on social and religious issues.

Women had an effective role in social and political life of the then society.

A general survey of the Puranas reveals that the position of women declined in the corresponding age.
Women in the Smritis: Manu says “Women must always be honoured and respected by the father, brother, husband and brother-in-law who desire their own welfare, and where women are honoured, there the very Gods are pleased, but where they 193 are not honoured, no sacred rite even could yield rewards”, while speaking about woman and her relation to man.

Manu observes that the family in which women suffer, is bound to be ruined, while the family in which women are happy is bound to prosper.
He further enjoins that every person is to maintain peace with the female members of the household.

He also advises every householder to treat his daughter as the highest object of tenderness and honour mother as the most venerable person in the world.

On the other hand, we find a number of provisions in the Manu Smriti, which certainly go against her interests.

Women are deprived of the Upanayana ceremony and thereby of education.

Manu relegates her to an entirely subservient position.
He preaches self-negation as the highest ideal of a wife.

She is asked to serve and worship her husband even if he is not a person of all virtue and character.

Since service and worship of the husband are the primary duties of a wife, by so performing she can hope to attain heaven.

Manu deprives women of her economic rights also.

He says, “A wife, a son and a slave, these three are declared to have no property, the wealth which they earn is for him to whom they belong”.
It appears that Manu had a very poor opinion about women.

According to him women should be guarded against her evil inclinations.

Otherwise she will bring sorrow to both the families.

So, he wants woman to be under the surveillance of father in her childhood, her husband in her youth and her sons after the death of her husband.

He declares in unequivocal terms that no woman deserves independence.

There are two schools of thought regarding the status of women in ancient India.
One school has described women as the ‘equals of men’, while the other school holds that women were held not only in disrespect but even in positive hatred.

According to Baudhaya “a father who did not give his 194 daughter in marriage before her first menstruation incurred the guilt of one procuring abortion (a grave sin, worse than many kinds of murders) for every menstrual period in which she remained unmarried”6 .

This period onwards status of women was started deteriorating.
Rights which they had earlier were not enjoying in this period.

Restrictions were put on social, economic, religious life.

The position of women gradually deteriorated as the Vedic ideals of unity and equality began to vanish off as the time passes by.

During smritis women bracketed with the shudras.

Medieval period: According to ancient Hindu texts and tradition, until about 500 B.C.

women in India enjoyed considerable freedom.


But during the next thousand years, women’s position gradually deteriorated.

In fact, the status of women started degenerating in the post-Vedic age because of the conception of purity and pollution and restrictions of inter-caste marriages.

Child marriage had started in the last part of Smriti age.

Educational and religious parity was denied to them and widow remarriage was forbidden.

During this period, a woman’s husband was regarded as God.
A number of problems arose for Hindu women in the Mughal period.

The ‘Purdah’ system was followed which resulted in seclusion of women.

Education of women in whatever form was stopped.

Child marriage was started.

During this period the inhuman practice of ‘Sati Pratha’ was in vogue.

Purdah Pratha, Sati Pratha, child marriage, girl killing, polygamy etc.

were the main social evils of this period.

However, during the fifteenth century, the situation underwent some change.
The Bhakti movement organised by Ramanujacharya during this period introduced new trends in 195 the social and religious life of Indian women.

The saints like Chaitanya, Nanak, Kabir, Meera, Ramdas and Tulsi stood for the right of women to religious worship.

Hence, this movement at least, provided religious freedom to women.

British Period: British ruled India from 18th century to mid-20th century.

British Government brought about changes in the economic and social structure of Indian society.
Some important Legislations ensuring the rights of woman enacted in British Era were Sati Prohibition Act 1829, Widow Remarriage Act 1856, The special Marriage Act1872, The Married women’s property Act 1874, Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, Hindu Women’s Right to Property Act 1939.

III.

Rights of Women in Post-Independence India In post-independence period, the radical changes regarding the rights of women in India are prominent.
The rights of women have been protected and ensured through the series of legislations enacted at the call of society in different times to maintain the social equilibrium.

The rights available to woman in India can be classified into two main categories, viz., Constitutional Rights and Legal Rights.

The Constitutional Rights are those which are provided in the various Articles of the Constitution.
The Legal Rights, on the other hand, are those which are enacted in various forms of Acts/Legislations passed by the Parliament and the State Legislatures.

Moreover, to justify the theory of protection to woman, this research paper highlights only those parts of the legislations, which prescribe the protective and preventive measures for ensuring the rights of women.

A.
A.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS: The Constitution is the supreme law of India, and was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949, and became effective on 26 January 1950.

The rights and safeguards enshrined in the Constitution for women are 196 listed below: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

The state shall not discriminate against any citizen of India on the ground of sex7.

The state is empowered to make any special provision for women.
In other words, this provision enables the state to make affirmative discrimination in favour of women8.

No citizen shall be discriminated against or be ineligible for any employment or office under the state on the ground of sex9.
Traffic in human beings and forced labour are prohibited 10 The state to secure for men and women equally the right to an adequate means of livelihood11 The state to secure equal pay for equal work for both Indian men and women12 The state is required to ensure that the health and strength of women workers are not abused and that they are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their strength13 The state shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief14 It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women15 10.
One-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat shall be reserved for women16 11.

One-third of the total number of offices of chairpersons in the Panchayats at each level shall be reserved for women17.

12.

One-third of the total number of seats to be filled by 197 direct election in every Municipality shall be reserved for women18 13.
The offices of chairpersons in the Municipalities shall be reserved for women in such manner as the State Legislature may provide19 B.

LEGAL RIGHTS Legal Rights of women can further be classified into as below for better realisation: I. II.

Rights regarding Marriage and Family Matters Rights against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation III.

Property Rights IV.

Rights of Working Women V. I.


Other Legislations Rights regarding Marriage and Family Matters: Dowry Prohibition ACT, 1961 To condemn the social evil “Dowry” from the society, this legislation is enacted in the Twelfth Year of the Republic of India in 1961.

Objective To prohibit giving or taking of dowry in connection with marriage Penalty/ Punishment A.

Giving or taking dowry20 B.


Demanding dowry21 C. Ban on advertisement22 Prohibition Officers in Odisha Sub divisional Magistrate 198 The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 The main purpose of enacting the act is to ban the use of sex selection techniques after conception and prevent the misuse of prenatal diagnostic technique for sex selective abortions.

This Act has two-fold enforcing capacity viz., 1.

2.
2.

Regulation of Genetic Counselling Centres, Genetic Laboratories and Genetic Clinics23; Regulation of pre-natal diagnostic techniques24.
Objective Provisions : To provide for the regulation of the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for the purpose of detecting genetic or metabolic disorders or chromosomal abnormalities or certain congenital malformations or sex linked disorders and for the prevention of the misuse of such techniques for the purpose of pre-natal sex determination leading to female foeticide; and, for matters connected there with or incidental thereto : a.
Written consent of pregnant woman and prohibition of communicating the sex of foetus25b.

Determination of sex prohibited26c.

Compulsory registration of Genetic Counselling Centres, Genetic Laboratories or Genetic Clinics 27d.
Prohibition of advertisement relating to pre-natal determination of sex and punishment for contravention28 Penalty : Penalty for contravention of the provisions of the Act or rules for which no specific punishment is provided29 199 The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 The Act provides for the first time in Indian law a definition of “domestic violence”, with this definition being broad and including not only physical violence, but also other forms of violence such as emotional/verbal, sexual, and economic abuse.
Domestic violence means30 (a) Harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse; or (b) Harasses, harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person with a view to coerce her or any other person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or other property or valuable security; (c) (d) the effect of threatening the aggrieved person or any person related to her by any conduct mentioned in clause (a) or clause (b); or otherwise injures or causes harm, whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person.
Explanation I.— (i) “physical abuse” means any act or conduct which is of such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm, or danger to life, limb, or health or impair the health or development of the aggrieved person and includes assault, criminal intimidation and criminal force; (ii) “sexual abuse” includes, any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates, degrades or otherwise violates the dignity of woman; (iii) “verbal and emotional abuse” includes, (a) insults, ridicule, humiliation, name calling and insults or ridicule specially with regard to not having a child or a male child; and (b) repeated threats to cause physical pain to any person in whom the 200 aggrieved person is interested; (iv) “economic abuse” includes (a) deprivation of all or any economic or financial resources to which the aggrieved person is entitled under any law or custom whether payable under an order of a court or otherwise or which the aggrieved person requires out of necessity including, but not limited.
Objective : To provide for more effective protection of the rights of women guaranteed under the Constitution who are victims of violence of any kind occurring within the family and formatters connected therewith or incidental thereto Provisions A.

Prohibition of sex selection, before or after conception B.

Regulates the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques by allowing only to detect, i. genetic abnormalities ii.

metabolic disorders iii.

chromosomal abnormalities iv.


certain congenital malformations v. haemoglobinopathies vi.

sex linked disorders.

C. No laboratory or centre or clinic will conduct including ultrasonography for the purpose of determining the sex of the foetus.

test any Penalty A.
test any Penalty A.

Protection orders , B. Residence Orders , C. Monetary Reliefs 201 Prohibition Officers in Odisha Programme Officers of W&CD Department The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 Child marriage has been an issue in India for a long time, because of its root in traditional, cultural and religious protection it has been hard battle to fight.
Some of the harmful consequences of such child marriage are that, child loses opportunities for education and segregation from family and friends, sexual exploitation, early pregnancy and health risks, child more vulnerable to domestic violence, higher infant mortality rate, low weight babies, pre-mature birth etc.

So, to prohibit child marriage, the said Act came into force on 1 November 2007 in India.
Objective Provision : To provide for the prohibition of solemnisation of child marriages and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto : A.

Maintenance and residence to female contracting party to child marriage1 Penalty/ Punishment : A.

Punishment for male adult marrying a child2B.

Punishment for solemnising a child marriage 3C.

Punishment for promoting or permitting solemnisation of child marriages4D.
No woman shall be punishable with imprisonment5 Prohibition Officers in Odisha Child Development Protection Officers (CDPOs) 202 II.

Rights against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 The Act intends to combat trafficking and sexual exploitation for commercial purposes.

The problem of trafficking in women and children for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation has assumed serious proportion in recent years.
Commercial exploitation of women and children takes place in various forms including brothel-based prostitution, sex tourism, entertainment industry and pornography in print and electronic media.

In some cases the victims are taken to other States, while in some other cases, the trafficking takes place within the State.
Objective : To provide in pursuance of the International Convention signed at New York on the 9th day of May, 1950, for the suppression of immoral traffic in women and girls Provision : In this Act there are provisions of punishment for different activities leading to prostitution viz., for keeping a brothel or allowing premises to be used as a brothel6, for living on the earnings of prostitution7, for Procuring, inducing or taking person for the sake of prostitution8, for recruits, transports, transfers, harbours, or receives a person for the purpose of prostitution9, for detaining a person in premises where prostitution is carried on10, Prostitution in or in the vicinity of public place 11,Seducing or soliciting for purpose of prostitution12, in case of an 203 offender.
Penalty/Punishment : A.Detention institution13 in a corrective Prohibition Officer in Odisha B.

Application for being kept in a protective home or provided care and protection by court 14 Integrated Anti Human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU) will be set up in the office of the I.G.
(Crime Branch) The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 “Indecent representation of women” means15 the depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent, or derogatory to, or denigrating, women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals.
Prohibition under the Act is of advertisements containing indecent representation of women16 and of publication or sending by post of books, pamphlets, etc., containing indecent representation of women17.
Objective : To prohibit indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto Penalty/Punishment : Any person who contravenes the provisions of section 3 or section 4 shall be punishable on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, 204 and with fine which may extend two thousand rupees, and in the event of a second or subsequent conviction with imprisonment for a term of not less than six months but which may extend to five years and also with a fine not less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees18.
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 This Act uses a definition of sexual harassment which was laid down by the Supreme Court of India in Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan in 1997.

The exhaustive definition and scope of sexual harassment and workplace is given below.

A.

B.
“sexual harassment” includes19 any one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour (whether directly or by implication) namely:- (i) physical contact and advances; or (ii) a demand or request for sexual favours; or (iii) making sexually coloured remarks; or (iv) showing pornography; or (v) any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature; “workplace” includes20- (i) any department, organisation, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution, office, branch or unit which is established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the appropriate Government or the local authority or a Government company or a corporation or a co-operative society; (ii) any private sector organisation or a private venture, undertaking, enterprise, institution, establishment, society, trust, non-governmental organisation, unit or service provider carrying on commercial, professional, vocational, educational, entertainmental, industrial, health services or financial activities including production, 205 supply, sale, distribution or service; (iii) hospitals or nursing homes; (iv) any sports institute, stadium, sports complex or competition or games venue.
whether residential or not used for training, sports or other activities relating thereto: (v) any place visited by the employee arising out of or during the course of employment including transportation provided by the employer for undertaking such journey: Objective Provision Compensation : To provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
: The Act defines sexual harassment at the work place and creates a mechanism for redressal of complaints.

It also provides safeguards against false or malicious charges.
: The Committee shall determine the compensation with regard to21(a} the mental trauma, pain, suffering and emotional distress caused to the aggrieved woman; (b) the loss in the career opportunity due to the incident of sexual harassment; (c) medical expenses incurred by the victim for physical or psychiatric treatment; (d) the income and financial status of the respondent; (e) Feasibility of such payment in lump sum or in instalments.

Prohibition Officers 206 in Odisha Internal Complaints Committee III.
Property Rights The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 The Act lays down a uniform and comprehensive system of inheritance and succession into one Act.

The Hindu woman’s limited estate is abolished by the Act.

Any property possessed by a Hindu female is to be held by her absolute property and she is given full power to deal with it and dispose it off by will as she likes.
Objective Provisions : To amend and codify the law relating to intestate succession among Hindus : A. Devolution of coparcenary property22 interest in B.
General rules of succession in the case of female Hindus23 C. Order of succession and manner of distribution among heirs of a female Hindu24 The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 The Adoptions and Maintenance Act of 1956 dealt specifically with the legal process of adopting children by a Hindu adult, and with the legal obligations of a Hindu to provide “maintenance” to various family members including their wife or wives, parents, and in-laws.
Objective Provisions : To amend and codify the law relating to adoptions and maintenance among Hindus : A.

Capacity of a female Hindu to take in adoption25B.

Determination of 207 adoptive mother in certain cases26C.

Maintenance of wife27D.

Maintenance of widowed daughter-in-law28 IV.


Rights of Working Women The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her of a ‘maternity benefit’ i.e., full payment in absence from work to take care for her child.

The act is applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more persons.
Objective : To regulate the employment of women in certain establishments for certain periods before and after child-birth and to provide for maternity benefit and certain other benefits.

Provisions Penalty : A.Employment or work is prohibited during certain period29 B.
Right to payment of maternity benefit30 C.Right maternity benefit in case death of a women31 D.Leave for miscarriage32 E. Nursing Breaks33 F. No dismissal during absence of pregnancy34 : Punishable with imprisonment which shall not be less than 3 months but which may be extended to 1 year and with fine which shall not be less than Rs.

2000/- extended to Rs.

5000/-, in case of contravention of the provisions of the Act35.
The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides for payment of equal remuneration to men and women and helps prevent gender discrimination.

Article 39 of the Indian Constitution 208 envisages that the States will have a policy for securing equal pay for equal work for both men and women.

To give effect to these constitutional provisions, the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 was introduced.
Objective Provisions : To provide for the payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers and for the prevention of discrimination on the ground of sex, against women in the matter of employment and for matters concerned therewith or incidental thereto.
: A.Duty of the employer o pay equal remuneration to men and women workers for same work of a similar nature36 B.No discrimination while recruiting men and women workers37 Penalty : i. Punishable with simple imprisonment for a term of which may be extended to 1 month or fine which may be extended to Rs.

10000/- or with both38.ii.

Punishable with fine shall not be less than Rs.

10000/- but which may be extended to Rs.


25000/- or with imprisonment for a term shall not be less than 3 months but maybe extended up to 2 years for offences in subsequent periods39.

V. Other Legislations The Odisha Prevention of Witch - Hunting Bill, 2013 The existing Legislation aims at prohibiting witch-hunting and other similar practices helping in tackling the evil consequences and in curbing crimes.
The penal provisions of the Legislation disallows witch-hunting, branding a woman as witch and other similar practices causing harm or injury to any 209 woman and who performs any practice as witch-doctor, simultaneously helps in achieving security and dignity of Women in the State.
Objective : To provide for effective measures to tackle the menace of witch hunting and to prevent the practices of witch craft in the State of Odisha and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto Provisions : Prohibition of which-hunting and practising witch craft40 Penalty : a.

Penalty for witch craft41b.

Penalty for witch- doctor42 (Footnotes) IV.


Rights of Women & Judicial Activism in India Through various devices like judicial review, judicial activism, public interest litigation (PIL) and the duty of enforcement of fundamental rights the superior Courts in India have evolved a gender jurisprudence which has given substance and life to the constitutional scheme of protective discrimination in favour of women.
The detailed overview of the judicial approach in various cases, where the Courts have successfully delivered their verdict to strengthen position of women is given below.

1.

Matters relating to Employment: In Miss C.B, Muthamma, I.F.S v. Union of India1, Air India v. Nergesh Meerza and other2, In A.N.

Rajamma v. State of Kerala3, the Court upholding the principle of equality of status put the female employees at par with male employees and struck down the various rules as unconstitutional.
In Vijay Lakshmi v. Punjab University4, Court held that appointment of lady Principal in Women’s college or a lady teacher therein, cannot be held to be violative of Articles 14 210 and 16 of the Constitution, because classification is reasonable and it has a nexus with the object to be achieved.

More over it is a precautionary, preventive and protective measure based on public morals and particularly in view of the young age of the girl students to be taught.
v. Parishad In a plethora of cases such as Peoples Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of Indi5, Randhir Singh v. Union of Indi6, Sanjit Roy v. State of Rajasthan7, Uttarakhand Mahila Kalyan of Uttar Pradesh8 and Mackinnon Mackenzie and Co. Ltd. v. Andrey D’ Costa9 etc., Judiciary has played an active role in enforcing and strengthening the constitutional goal of “equal pay for equal work” enshrined in Article 39(a), which implicit in Article 14 and 16 of the Constitution.
The court has brought the equal remuneration within the contours of fundamental right of equality.

State In several cases Court has held that the State is competent under Arts.

15(3), 16(2) and 16(4) of the Constitution to give preference to women in government jobs where they are equally meritorious but more suited than men.
The Court made it clear that giving preference to women is only an affirmative action and not a reservation which normally implies a separate quota which is reserved for a special category of person who are less meritorious.
Moreover, court also accepted that under Factories Laws, the State prohibits the appointment of women in the factories in certain categories, i.e., on the dangerous and hazardous machinery, the working hours are also restricted for the women and the State prohibits women in working in the night times.
Finally court held that allotment of seats in buses, educational institutions for ladies is also not gender discrimination, but is a protective discrimination keeping in view of the weak physical structure of women, and social safety in the society.

2.

Matters relating to Education: 211 In P. Sagar v. State of Andhra Pradesh10, The Andhra Pradesh High Court observed that Article 15(3) is an exception engrafted to clause (1) of the Article 15.
Thus, in view of the Article 15(3) reservation for women cannot be denied.

Similarly, the reservation for sports women does not offend the provisions of Articles 15(1) and 29(2) of the Constitution11.

In Padmaraj Samarendra v. State of Bihar12, allotment of some seats for girl students in Medical Colleges was challenged on the ground that it is solely based on sex.
The Court while justifying the allotment of seats for girl students held as reasonable and it cannot be said to be discrimination on the ground of sex alone.

3.
3.

Prevention of sexual abuse at work places: In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan13, Supreme Court had framed guidelines and norms for protection of working women at work place, and it held that it is the duty of the employer to protect women from sexual abuse, which are later parliament, recognized and enacted Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

4.
4.

Matters relating to sex-workers and sexually abused women: In Budhadev Karmaskar v. State of West Bengal14, Court held that generally, our society views prostitutes as women of low character but, refuse to look at their situation from their perspective.

The bench in this case must be appreciated not just for recognizing their right under Article 21 and directing the state and central governments to act for their welfare but also, to understand their perspective and impoverished situation.
Not only this, but the bench acted quite actively and gave the directions to Central and State government to prepare schemes for giving technical/vocational training to sex workers and sexually abused women in all cities in India.

5.
Matters relating to Acid attacks, regulate and restrict 212 the sale of acid: In Laxmi v. Union of India15On account of increase in number of acid attacks on women in the past few years, Supreme Court in order to curb these gave directions to Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs associating the Secretary, Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizers to convene a meeting of the Chief Secretaries/concerned Secretaries of the State Governments and the Administrators of the Union Territories to curb and restrict the sale of acid throughout the country.
The Supreme Court issued several directions for the protection of acid attack victims such as: minimum 3 Lakh Rupees compensation for victims, adequate publicity of victim compensation schemes, private hospitals must not refuse treatment to victims, and full treatment must include medicines, food, bedding and reconstructive surgeries.

6.
6.

Matters relating to uphold special provisions for women in criminal law: In Yusuf Abdul Aziz v. State of Bombay16Supreme Court held that under section 497 of IPC man only be punished for offence of adultery and woman will be exempted though she may be equally guilty as an abettor was valid.

It is reasonable classification under Article 14 and it was saved by virtue of Art.

15(3).
15(3).

In Sowmithri Vihnu v. Union of India17, the Court held that the contemplation of the law, evidently, is that the wife, who is involved in an illicit relationship with another man, is a victim and not the author of the crime.

In Revathi v. Union of India18, the Court held that that Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code is so designed that a husband cannot prosecute the wife for defiling the sanctity of the matrimonial tie by committing adultery.
Thus the law permits neither the husband of the offending wife to prosecute his wife nor does the law 213 permit the wife to prosecute the offending husband for being disloyal to her.

Thus both the husband and the wife are disabled from striking each other with the weapon of criminal law.

7.

Matters relating to recognize women guardianship rights: In Githa Hariharan v. Reserve Bank of India19etc Apex Court struck down those rules and regulations even legislative Act which were causing for gender bias.
Held that even a mother can be a legal guardian to her children whether father a live or not.

In ABC v. The State (NCT of Delhi)20 the Supreme Court declared landmark judgment saying that an unwed mother is not bound to disclose the name of child’s father and also, she would have all the rights as a guardian to child under guardianships rights.

She need not take father’s consent for guardianship rights.
Not only it was necessary to protect the child from social stigma but, also to protect mother’s fundamental right.

It was certainly an avant-garde verdict on gender quality.

8.

Judiciary presumed live-in-relationship for long term as deemed marriage: In Dhannulal and ors.
v. Ganeshram and Ors21, it was held that continuous cohabitation of a couple together that is, ‘live-in relationship’ would raise the presumption of marriage unless otherwise proven.In this matter, the woman had been living with a man as his wife for around 20 years until his death in the same house with the respondent-relatives who alleged that she was only a mistress and not the legally wedded wife.
The woman clearly failed to prove that she was the legally wedded wife of deceased but, the bench still held that she was eligible to inherit the property.

9.
9.

Matters relating to recognize women’s rights in the context of maternity benefit in case of surrogacy: In P Geetha v. Kerala Livestock Development Board Ltd22, 214 the petitioner, who became a mother through surrogate procedure, was not granted maternity leave by the Respondents on the ground that birth of the child was not under normal circumstances.

The High Court held that while granting maternity leave, women could not be discriminated merely because the baby was obtained through surrogacy.

10.
10.

Matters relating to conferring property rights on women par with men: Property is one of the important endowments or natural assets to accord opportunity, source to develop personality, to be independent, thus effectuating the right of equal status and dignity of person to women.
In Pratap Singh v. Union of India 23, Jagannathan Kunjithapadam Pillai Pillai24, Thotasesha Rathamma v. Thota Manik yamma25etc., Judiciary emphasised on gender equality as the prime consideration in interpretation of statutes conferring property rights on women, has encouraged legislation in this regard.

The Supreme Court paved way for other courts to follow it as a precedent while deciding cases of women’s right to property.
v. Finally, now the Hindu Succession (Amendment Act), 2005 recognized coparcenary property rights of women.

11.

Matters relating to safeguard rape victim: Rape is an offence against right to privacy and dignity of women- In Delhi Domestic Working women’s Forum v. Union of India26, in Bodhisathwa Gautam v. Subhra Chakraborty27 etc., Court held that women also have the right to life and liberty; they also have the right to be respected and reacted as equal citizens.
Their honour and dignity cannot be touched or violated.

They also have the right to lead an honourable and peaceful life.

Rape is a crime against basic human rights and is also violative of the victim’s most cherished of the 215 fundamental rights, normally, the right to life and privacy contained in constitution under Art.

21 and court had provided compensation to rape victims.
Two finger test, it’s like getting raped once again- In Lillu v. Rajesh & Anr v. State of Haryana28, for the first time, the Supreme Court in this case realized the agony and trauma of a rape victim who had to go through two finger test give her character certification and after analyzing through various precedents, held that it is violation of victim’s right to privacy and dignity.
Court held that medical procedures should not be carried out in a manner that constitutes cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and health should be of paramount consideration while dealing with gender-based violence.

The State is under an obligation to make such services available to survivors of sexual violence.

Proper measures should be taken to ensure their safety and there should be no arbitrary or unlawful interference with her privacy.
Rape is not a compoundable offence- With regard to determination of rape cases, in State of Madhya Pradesh v. Madan Lal29, the Supreme Court once again clarified that rape cases cannot be compromised or mediated, as rape is a non-compoundable offence.

The Court held that compromise in rape cases would be against the victim’s honour and dignity, which are sacrosanct.
Bench also held that allowing compromise is not a good sign to society and “such an attitude reflects lack of sensibility towards the dignity of a woman.” 12.

Matters relating to right to freedom of women: Articles 19 to 22 of The Constitution of India provide a detailed scheme of Right to Freedom.
Article 19 (1) guarantees 6 freedoms for citizens with reasonable restrictions and Article 216 21provides for Right to life and personal liberty of each and every person in India which includes Right to live with human dignity, right to livelihood, right to work, right to privacy, right against sexual harassment etc.
Virginity test is violative of right to privacy- In Surjit Singh Thind v. Kanwalji Kaur30 apex court held that allowing the medical examination of a women’s virginity violates her right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Women has right to choose her partner without any compulsion- In Ravi Kumar v. State31and in Lata Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh32, it was held that Right to Marriage is an essential part of the right under Art.21 and that people have the right to choose their partners without any compulsion.

For there, it also held that “This is a free and democratic country, and once a person becomes a major he or she can marry whosoever he/she likes.
If the parents of the boy or girl do not approve of such inter-caste or inter-religious marriage the maximum they can do is that they can cut off social relations with the son or the daughter, but they cannot give threats or commit or instigate acts of violence and cannot harass the person who undergoes such inter-caste or inter- religious marriage.
Recognizing sex selection and female feticides as offence against right to life of women- In CEHAT v. UOI and others33the Supreme Court had given several directions regarding sex selection and sex selective abortion and for proper implement of Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act by saying that female foeticide as a heinous act and an indicator of violence against women.
217 The Indian Parliament also enacted Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971,The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994,Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005and many more laws to protect the women life and liberty.

13.

Matters relating for protection of women from exploitation: Right against exploitation is recognized under Article 23 and 24 of the Constitution of India.
Article 23 prohibits “traffic in human beings and beggar and other similar forms of labour”.

The expression “traffic in human beings is evidently a very wide expression including the prohibition of traffic in women for immoral or other purposes.

Also the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, 1956has been enacted with the object of inhibiting or abolishing the immoral trafficking of women and girls.
Articles 21 & 23 also impose the duty on state to identify, release and rehabilitate freed bonded labourers.

In Gaurav Jain v. Union of India34341990 AIR 292, 1989 SCR Supl.

(2) 173 the Supreme Court held that the children of the prostitutes have the right to equality of opportunity, dignity, care, protection and rehabilitation so as to be part of mainstream social life.

14.
14.

Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes, 2018: This chapter is come into existence by the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.

A woman victim or her dependent (s) as the case may be, shall be eligible for grant of compensation from multiple schemes applicable to her.

However, the compensation received by her in the other schemes with regard to Section 357-B Cr.P.C., shall be taken into account while deciding the quantum in the such subsequent application.
218 15.

Triple Talaq : In 2018 the Supreme Court said triple talaq violates the fundamental rights of Muslim Women as it irrevocably ends marriage without any chance of reconciliation.

The bench of the Supreme Court asked the Central Government to promulgate legislation within six months to govern marriage and divorce in the Muslim community.

16.

Matter relating to Adultery: In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court scrapped the 150-year old adultery law in 2018.
A five judge bench said “Adultery cannot and should not be a crime.

It can be a ground for a civil offence, a ground for divorce.

Equality is the governing principle of a system and that a husband is not the master of the wife.
Section 497 of the IPC an archaic provision is manifestly arbitrary the way it deals with women.” CONCLUSION There are so many legislations, Rules and Judicial Pronouncements and more importantly individual as well as group women organizations in India put continuous effort for women protection and empowerment but still justice is not extensively accessible to them.

It is the need of the hour to aware and empowers women.

An empowered woman not only protects herself but also protect people around her.
Women should fight for her place in this male dominated society.

Foot Notes : 1.

R. Dayal, Law Relating to Dowry, Premier Publishing Co., Allahabad (1995) 2.

Devika Paul, "Gender and Planning", Yojana, Vol.

49 at 35 (2005) 3.

Dr. D.B.

Krishnakumari, "Interventions for Combating Gender Violence", Social Welfare, Vol.

51, No.

09 at 18(2004) 4.


The World Conference on Human Rights 1993 was a significant step in the struggle for achieving the equality and eliminating all forms of sex based discrimination.

For the first time this conference 219 recognised the gender based violence against women in public and private life as a human rights concern Basham A.L., The wonder that was India, Grove Pressic, New York.
Pg.173 Baud hayana iv, 1, 12 pg166 Article 15(1) Article 15(3) Article 16(2) Article 23(1) 11 Article 39(a) 12 Article 39(d) 13 Article 39(e) 14 Article 42 15 Article 51-A(e) 16 Article 243-D(3) 17 Article 243-D(4) 18 Article 243-T(3) 19 Article 243-T(4) 20 Section 3 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: (1) If any person, gives or takes or abets the giving or taking of dowry, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than five years, and with fine which shall not be less than fifteen thousand rupees or the amount of the value of such dowry, whichever is more; (2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall apply to, or in relation to,- (a) presents which are given at the time of a marriage to the bride (without any demand having been made in that behalf): Provided that such presents are entered in a list maintained in accordance with the rules made under this Act; (b) presents which are given at the time of a marriage to the bridegroom (without any demand having been made in that behalf): 21 Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: If any person demands, directly or indirectly, from the parents or other relatives or guardian of a bride or bridegroom, as the case may be, any dowry, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, but which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
22 Section 4A of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: (a) offers, through any advertisement in any newspaper, periodical, journal or through any other media, any share in his property or of any money or both as a share in any business or other interest as consideration for the marriage of his son or daughter or any other relative, (b) prints or 220 publishes or circulates any advertisement referred to in clause (a), he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, but which may extend to five years, or with fine which may extend to fifteen thousand rupees.
23 Section 3 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 24 Section 4 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse)Act 25 Section 5 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 26 Section 6 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 27 Section 18 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 28 Section 22 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 29 Section 25 of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 30 Section 3 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 31 Section 18 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act: (a) committing any act of domestic violence; (b) aiding or abetting in the commission of acts of domestic violence; (c) entering the place of employment of the aggrieved person or, if the person aggrieved is a child, its school or any other place frequented by the aggrieved person; (d) attempting to communicate in any form, whatsoever, with the aggrieved person, including personal, oral or written or electronic or telephonic contact; (e) alienating any assets, operating bank lockers or bank accounts used or held or enjoyed by both the parties, jointly by the aggrieved person and the respondent or singly by the respondent, including her stridhan or any other property held either jointly by the parties or separately by them without the leave of the Magistrate; (f) causing violence to the dependants, other relatives or any person who give the aggrieved person assistance from domestic violence; (g) committing any other act as specified in the protection order.
32 Section19 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act: Clause 1: (a) restraining the respondent from dispossessing or in any other manner disturbing the possession of the aggrieved person from the shared household, whether or not the respondent has a legal or equitable interest in the shared household; (b) directing the respondent to remove himself from the shared household; (c) restraining the respondent or any of his relatives from entering any portion of the shared household in which the aggrieved person resides; (d) restraining the respondent from alienating or disposing 221 off the shared household or encumbering the same; (e) restraining the respondent from renouncing his rights in the shared household except with the leave of the Magistrate; or (f) directing the respondent to secure same level of alternate accommodation for the aggrieved person as enjoyed by her in the shared household or to pay rent for the same, if the circumstances so require: Provided that no order under clause (b) shall be passed against any person who is a woman.
(2) The Magistrate may impose any additional conditions or pass any other direction which he may deem reasonably necessary to protect or to provide for the safety of the aggrieved person or any child of such aggrieved person.

(3) The Magistrate may require from the respondent to execute a bond, with or without sureties, for preventing the commission of domestic violence.
(4) An order under sub-section (3) shall be deemed to be an order under Chapter VIII of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) and shall be dealt with accordingly.

(5) While passing an order under sub-section (1), sub- section (2) or sub-section (3), the court may also pass an order directing the officer in charge of the nearest police station to give protection to the aggrieved person or to assist her or the person making an application on her behalf in the implementation of the order.
(6) While making an order under sub-section (1), the Magistrate may impose on the respondent obligations relating to the discharge of rent and other payments, having regard to the financial needs and resources of the parties.

(7) The Magistrate may direct the officer in- charge of the police station in whose jurisdiction the Magistrate has been approached to assist in the implementation of the protection order.
(8) The Magistrate may direct the respondent to return to the possession of the aggrieved person her stridhan or any other property or valuable security to which she is entitled to.
33 Section 20 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act:- (1) While disposing of an application under sub-section (1) of section 12,the Magistrate may direct the respondent to pay monetary relief to meet the expenses incurred and losses suffered by the aggrieved person and any child of the aggrieved person as a result of the domestic violence and such relief may include, but not limited to,- (a) the loss of earnings; (b) the medical expenses; (c) the loss caused due to the destruction, damage or removal of any property from the control of the aggrieved person; and (d) the maintenance for the aggrieved person as well as her children, if any, including an order under or in addition to an order of maintenance under section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) or any other law for the time being in force.
(2) The monetary relief granted under this section shall be adequate, fair and reasonable and consistent with the standard of living to which the aggrieved person is accustomed.

(3) The Magistrate shall have the power to order an appropriate lump sum payment or monthly payments of maintenance, as the nature 222 and circumstances of the case may require.
(4) The Magistrate shall send a copy of the order for monetary relief made under sub-section (1) to the parties to the application and to the in charge of the police station within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the respondent resides.

(5) The respondent shall pay the monetary relief granted to the aggrieved person within the period specified in the order under sub-section (1).
(6) Upon the failure on the part of the respondent to make payment in terms of the order under sub-section (1), the Magistrate may direct the employer or a debtor of the respondent, to directly pay to the aggrieved person or to deposit with the court a portion of the wages or salaries or debt due to or accrued to the credit of the respondent, which amount may be adjusted towards the monetary relief payable by the respondent.
34 Section 4 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 35 Section 9 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 36 Section 10 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 37 Section 11 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 38 Section 13 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 39 Section 3 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 40 Section 4 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 41 Section 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 42 Section 5 A of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 43 Section 6 A of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 44 Section 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 45 Section 8 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 46 Section 10-A of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 47 Section 19 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act Act 48 Section 2 (C) of the Indecent Representation of W omen (Prohibition)Act 49 Section 3 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition)Act 50 Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition)Act 51 Section 6 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition)Act 52 Section 2 (n) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 53 Section 2 (o) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 54 Section 15 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 55 Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act 56 Section 15 of the Hindu Succession Act 223 57 Section 16 of the Hindu Succession Act 58 Section 8 of the Hindu Adoptions & Maintenance Act 59 Section 14 of the Hindu Adoptions & Maintenance Act 60 Section 18 of the Hindu Adoptions & Maintenance Act 61 Section 19 of the Hindu Adoptions & Maintenance Act 62 Section 4 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 63 Section 5 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 64 Section 7 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 65 Section 9 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 66 Section 11 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 67 Section 12of the Maternity
 Benefit Act, 1961 68 Section 21 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 69 Section 4 of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 70 Section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 71 Section 10 (1) of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 72 Section 10 (2) of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 73 Section 3 of the Act 44 Section 5 of the Act: Whoever practises witch craft or other similar practices with intent to cause harm or injury to any person shall be punishable with imprisonment or a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to three years or with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees or with both 75 Section 6 of the Act: Whoever performs any practice as witch doctor knowingly that such practices shall cause harm or injury to the person upon whom such practices is being performed, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but may extend to three years or with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees or with both 76 (1979) 4 SCC 260 77 (1981) 4 SCC 335 78 1983 Lab.I.C.
1388 79 AIR 2003 SC 3331 80 AIR 1982 SC 1473 81 AIR1982 SC 879 82 AIR 1983 SC 328 83 AIR 1992 SC 1695 84 1987 AIR 1281 85 1968 AIR 1379, 1968 SCR (3) 565 86 Sukhdeo v. Governmentof A.P., 1966-1 Andhra WR 294 224 87 AIR 1979 Pat 266 88 AIR 1997 SC 3011 89 JT 2011 (8) SC 289, 2011 (8) SCALE 155, 2011 (4) UJ 2675 (SC) 90 (2014) 4 SCC 427 91 AIR 1954 SC 321 92 AIR 1985 SC 1618 93 AIR 1988 SC 835 94 1992 (2) Supreme 123 95 AIR 2015 SC 2569 96 AIR 2015 SC 2382 97 Case number: W.P.(C).

No.
No.

20680 of 2014 (H) 98 AIR 1985 SC 1695 99 AIR 1987 SC 1493 100 1991(4) SCC 312 101 (1995) 1 SCC 14 102 (1996) I SCC 490 103 AIR 2013 SC 1784 104 Case number :Criminal Appeal No.

231 of 2015  105 AIR 2003 P&H 353 106 124 (2005) DLT 1 107 (2006) 5 SCC 475 108 AIR 2003 SSC 3309 109 1990 AIR 292, 1989 SCR Supl.

(2) 173 225 THE CASE OF THE MISSING GIRLS - WHAT DOES THE DATA OF CHILD SEX RATIO IN ODISHA INDICATE?
Dr Amrita Patel Introduction The issue of declining child sex ratio in Odisha particularly since the last three decades has caused considerable worries.

Child Sex Ratio (CHILD SEX RATIO) is defined as the number of girls in the age-group 0-6 years per 1000 boys in the same age-group in the population.

It is expressed as ‘number of female children age (0-6) years per 1000 male children age (0- 6) years’.
The Census data reveals that the CHILD SEX RATIO of Odisha has declined by 17 points from 1991 to 2001 (967 to 953) and further by 12 points to 941 as per the latest 2011 Census.

The child sex ratio for the country has shown a similar trend of decline of 18 points between the Census years 1991 and 2001.

The CHILD SEX RATIO for India was 945 in 1991 which declined to 927 in the 2001 census.

It further slipped to 914 in the 2011 Census figures (Graph 1).
The decline is stark and it is indeed disturbing that even though the Odisha scenario is better than the national data, the decline is much steeper in the state of Odisha.

So even though the state of Odisha consistently has better figures than the national data on Child 226 Sex Ratio, it is not a situation of ‘feel good’.

Graph 1 : Decline of the Child Sex ratio (Odisha & India) District variation There is district variation of CHILD SEX RATIO in the state and also of the decline.
The district of Nayagarh had the lowest child sex ratio at 904 in 2001 Census with the highest decline over the period of 1991 to 2001 Census, and this subsequently declined further to 855 in the 2011 Census.

The incidents of abandoned female foetus in the district in 2007 which caught the media attention from the local to international cannot be easily erased from public memory.

All across the districts, it is observed that there has been a continuous decline in the child sex ratio.
While the 1991 Census was done in 13 undivided districts which later were separated into 30 districts in 1992, the decline has been dramatic in the coastal districts.

In the 1991 Census there were 5 districts which had a Child Sex Ratio of more than 1000, while in 2001 there were none.

A similar scenario prevails as per the 2011 Census.

More and more district are falling in the below 950 bracket.
There were only 5 districts in 1991 with the child sex ratio below 950 but as per the 2001 Census data there are 13 districts.

All these districts are contiguous in the coastal and central region of the state of Orissa.

It has subsequently increased to 16 districts.

Thus the situation has worsened as per the data of the 2011 Census.

Presently more than half of the districts of the state have a low child sex ratio (below 950).
227 (Table 1 : 1 l e b a T 228 229 230 Table 2 : District wise Decline in CHILD SEX RATIO 231 (*- new districts constituted in 1992 after the Census operation were done for 1991.
Districts arranged in descending rate of decline in CHILD SEX RATIO) The data of the district wise child sex ratio show that over the last two decades of the 1991 to 2011 Census it has declined in all the 30 districts, with the highest decline in the districts of Nayagarh, Dhenkanal and Angul.

The decadal change during the same period is also the highest in the same area (Table 2).

It would be of immense interest to plot the low child sex ratio districts with the level of female literacy rates.
For eg, Khurdha district has the highest urban female literacy rate of 87.5 per cent and has a low child sex ratio of 916 in 2011 Census, which in any case declined from 926.

The contiguity of the declining CHILD SEX RATIO districts is an area of research and intervention to address the issue.

Missing girls and the son preference Many demographers and academics have studied the cause and impact of such a scenario in the country as a whole and of the states.
Certain urban areas are emerging as the ‘epicentres’ of female deficit in Odisha with prosperous groups show relatively lower female to male ratio (Agnihotri, 2002).

Some of the reasons of sex selection are the sex of a previous child or children already born which affects the sex ratio of the current birth, with fewer females born as second or third children to families who have yet to have a boy.
Prenatal sex determination followed by selective abortion of female foetuses is the most plausible explanation for the low sex ratio at birth in India.

Women most clearly at risk of selective abortion are those who already have one or two female children.

Based on conservative assumption, the practice accounts for about 0.5 million missing female births yearly, translating over the past two decades into the abortion of some 19 million female fetuses (Jha, 2006).
A study conducted by Sansristi (the author was the research coordinator) in the district of Nayagarh, about 232 a decade ago revealed the ground realities.

There is a strong son preference.

Sons are preferred due to cultural, economic and social security factors.

Stigma is attached to a woman who does not bear a son.

However there is a significant recognition of the ability of daughters.

Daughters are liked for their compassion, managerial capabilities.
Daughters are most likely to take care of parents during their old age.

But the social norms of the non preference of daughters continue- sons are preferred over daughters.

Dowry problem is one of the most important reasons for non preference of daughters as marriage is the ultimate goal.

Rural income activities for girls (at village level) are absent which accentuate the liability perception of the daughters.
There is under valuation of women’s work within the household and poverty propels the son preference as they are to be the providers for the family.

The decline in the girls in the 0 – 6 years of population is truly a paradox in the context of the socio-cultural ethos of the state.
In contrast to the states of the north of India, which is typically more entrenched in patriarchal norms that manifests itself in extreme forms of gender discrimination such as ‘honour killing’, the state of Odisha is generally attributed with not so hard line mindset and practices.
But the state cannot be seen as one homogeneous populace as more than 20% belong to the Scheduled Tribes who have their own positive cultural and social norms on the value of the girls, but surprisingly there is a dramatic decrease in the CHILD SEX RATIO in the districts like Koraput, Rayagada, which have high tribal population.

This requires a nuanced understanding of the gender dimension of the child population dynamics within the tribal communities, not limited to geographical boundaries of districts.
As just the analysis of the spatial dimension leads to conclusions that sex ratio is more skewed in the most urbanized and economically well off states and districts (Paul & Saha, 2015).

In Odisha, the decline in the districts having a tribal population and being low in the development indicators merits a better understanding 233 and approach of tackling the problem in hand.
There is no doubt that the ingress of the new and modern social and cultural practices is leading to sex selection and son preferences by the tribal people in the tribal districts.

The most pertinent questions that come up are whether the massive community awareness, communication along with the enforcement of the PC & PNDT Act are playing any role in altering the demand and the supply side of the declining child sex ratio in the state and the situation of the missing girls.
The word “missing women” was coined by Amartya Sen when he showed that in parts of the developing world, the ratio of women to men in the population is suspiciously low.

I use the word in the context of the child population.

It is perceptible that the “missing girls” in the state and some districts very significantly, indicate an unholy nexus between technology and the value of the girl child.
Improving technology environment, increasing female literacy goes along parallelly with mobile ultrasound machines doing sex selection and abandonment of new born girls.

This contradictory state of affairs is indeed puzzling.

Why does the highest female literate district have a low child sex ratio ?

Why does a district having an egalitarian culture of the dominant tribal community show a declining child sex ratio?
In a recent development, the Economic Survey of India 2018 looked at the sex ratio of the last child (SRLC) which revealed that parents in India keep having children until they get the desired number of sons.

The ‘son meta preference’ by parents where they do not stop having children after having a daughter resulted in a huge number of ‘unwanted’ girls (in the 0-25 age group in the population currently) in India.
While only one state, Meghalaya, falls in the region of ideal SRLC and sex ratio, Odisha as a state does display some son “meta” preference (skewed SRLC).

CONCLUSION 234 The missing girls by sex selection and/or the unwanted girls due to son preference are a precursor to the degrading deep social malaise that affect the psyche of the people, a community and the society.
Laws, administrative preparedness and community awareness could well change the scenario but the prevailing depressing situation has not got the attention that it deserves.

The declining child sex ratio is a slow but sure demographic change, discriminating the girls to be born or be unwanted, that will surely transform the future landscape of the state of Odisha.

The patriarchal norms chain the minds, thoughts and actions of a society.
So the subject of declining child sex ratio cannot be treated in isolation as it is strongly entwined with issues of drop out of girls, early marriage, dowry problem, low work participation of women, sexual and domestic violence and issues of safety and security of girls and women in which a large gamut of stakeholders play a critical role.
The laws, action plans, strategies, schemes and programmes will work only when there is accountability and responsibility and all actors take cognizance of the urgency of the situation and not be complacent The child sex ratio data of the state in the 2021 Census will largely depend on the influences, factors and interventions that worked or did not.

Who could challenge the discriminatory social mindset and practices or could not?
Or has the society as a whole failed to recognize the danger signals and act?

References 1.

Agnihotri, S B (2002), Changes in Sex Ratio Patterns in Orissa: 1991- 2001 Is there an epi-centre of female deficit ?, Demography India, Vol.

31, No.

2, pp 179-194 Jha, Prabhat (2006), Low Male to Female Sex Ratio of Children Born in India: National Survey of 1.1 Million Households, Lancet, Vol.

367 (2006), pp.
367 (2006), pp.

211-218 Paul, Kalosona & Shrestha Saha (2015), Declining child Sex Ratio in India and its major correlates Available from: https:// www.researchgate.net/ publication/301887502_DECLINING_ CHILD_SEX_RATIO_IN_ INDIA_AND_ITS_MAJOR_CORRELATES [accessed Sep 19 2018].

2.

3.

 235 CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES OF CHILD PROTECTION ISSUES Jharana Swain In everyday life, thousands of children become victims of neglect, abuse and exploitation in the country.
More than 40 crore children are living in our country.

Though we have made considerable economic and social progress since independence, a large number of children are still living in inhuman and pathetic conditions.

They are subject to abuse and exploitation, especially the girl child.

[1] Among these, some of the abusive practices like child marriage, child labour, female foeticide/infanticide, etc are being supported by our society in the name of tradition.
Only formulation of legislations and policies is not enough to change the mind-sets of general public.

A concerted all round effort is required to raise public awareness and gradually bring about social transformation.

Further, it is an acknowledged fact that awareness about child protection issues is almost negligible in the country.
For example, lack of awareness about adoption programme amongst childless parents, leads to illegal adoption practices which in turn works as a barrier to promotion of child adoption.

The role of advocacy, public education and communication, is all about raising concerns, changing mind-sets, shifting the paradigm at all levels to ensure reduced vulnerabilities among children.

Hence there is a lot of hue and cry in urban concern of child protection.
The Juvenile Justice Act, Integrated Child 236 Protection Scheme (ICPS) and Government of India defines Child Protection as keeping children safe from a risk or perceived risk to their lives or childhood.

Child protection is to ensure that children have a security net to depend on, and if they happen to fall through the holes in the system, the system has the responsibility to provide the child with the necessary care and rehabilitation to bring them back into the safety net.
The Government of India’s study on child abuse (2007) and sub group report highlights violation of children’s right to protection.

The ICPS is focusing on BLCP, PLCP and VLCP, where the urban community are missing from child care and protection.

The central govt and state govt have taken lots of initiatives to protect children.

There are six departments looking after the issues of children.

The Commission is formed to look after the issues of children.
Child Protection Society is formed in each state, and under each state, district wise unit has been created consisting of 12 staff members to look after different fields of children like institutional children, non institutional children, adoption, children in conflict with law etc.

Besides this, Child welfare committee, Juvenile justice board, special police unit, juvenile committee etc, are available for care and protection of children.
Even though all these initiatives are taken, yet many more children are in Orphanages (presently known as Child care institutions).

In urban slums, many NGOs are working but issues like, child marriage, child trafficking, and abuse to children and child labour are rampant.

Hence, there is a need of massive community awareness among the people to be sensitized about Child Rights and Protection.
So, there should be development of an effective communication and public education strategy for child rights and protection, through partnership with line departments, national and international organizations, and local NGOs working in this sector.
The communication strategy shall include 237 all means of mass media including advertisement and programme in television, advertisement in newspapers, publication in periodicals, magazines, erection of hoardings, advertisement in bus panels, slide show in cinema halls, broadcast in radio, enactment of street plays, and discussion forums on the above issue to bring the attention of the public towards child protection concerns and legislations.
Before printing/producing/publishing any IEC materials and reaching in any conclusion, high level discussion is required among those who have been working in the field of child right and child protection for long, to generate need based and relevant ideas and concepts on different thematic components.

Bhubaneswar city of Khurda district is the most urbanised district of Odisha.

As per census 2011, the percentage of slum households in proportion to total urban households in Odisha is 23.09 percent.
Whereas, the percentage of slum households in proportion to total urban households in Bhubaneswar being 20.8 percent.

It was reported by the BMC that there are 59 authorised slums in Bhubaneswar, besides there are 131 unauthorised slums cropping up here and there.

Women in slums are mostly engaged in activities which are at the bottom end of the scale of earning income and are amongst the poorest of the poor in the working class.
Many a time the parents either leave their children at their household without any safety measures or the children accompany their mothers to jobs at construction sites or other hazardous places.

So these children, in their most foundational years, suffer neglect, abuse and deprivation from the essentials of developmental care.
- Functions of ICDS centre is limited to 9.00am to 12.00 noon, which is again additional burden for the unorganised sector workers to take care of their children beyond the working hour of the centre 238 - ICPS functions is also quite limited to cover urban migrant families Intervention required To set up crèche / Day Care Centres which will prevent overload of children at institutional care centres, most preferable outreach centres of ICPS scheme and AWW centres of PPP mode.
This is possible with the experience of the various NGOs, civil society and SHGs.

- - - Ensure cognitive, emotional, moral, physical and social development of infants of slum community having the age group of 2-6 years To train and educate to the women living in slum about child rearing practices and the importance of early child care, nutrition, safety, security and education.
To provide socialisation process platform for the children where they can feel themselves to utilise inherent skills as well as to acquire productive techniques to explore innovative ideas.
Purpose of Child Crisis Intervention Centre The purpose of Child Crisis Centre in urban location is to advocate and social change supports that will result in non- violent relationship within the family and communities and above all to provide a better platform for the children having neglected and absence of parents in day time to look into their care and protection.
To achieve social change among the vulnerable children, the centre would work on providing alternative education environment service during absence of parents in day time.

In addition to this, direct counselling services to the parents for safety, care and protection of the children will be given within center in the respective domain.
Meanwhile, programmes relating to child nurturing process, safety, security and protection would add value in upbringing 239 child into different sphere where they can learn and act for their self development as like as other protective children.

The organisation intends to change broadly in the areas of - - - - Integration of model based Crisis Intervention Centre (CIC) into the district and state child protection system.
Increase understandings, practices and behavioural changes among the children and parents on child safety, security and protection.

Reduce programme implementation gaps in the community relating to child care and development.

Enhance effectiveness of child protection policies and legislation among various stake holders those keen to act on it.
Role of social workers and social activists in child protection     To collate ideas and concepts related to Child Right and Child Protection in the state of Odisha with emphasis on need-based, relevant and prioritised issues.

To identify suitable thematic areas for development of strategies for the development of children.

To collect, acknowledge and reproduce existing NGOs working for Child Rights and Child Protection at various levels and their objective and intervention strategies.
Role of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) CWC is the sole authority constituted to deal with cases concerning children in need of care and protection, for each district.

The Committee is the final authority to dispose of cases pertaining treatment, development and rehabilitation of the children as well as to provide for their basic needs and safeguarding their human rights.

the care, protection, to 240 The Homes for CNCP are Shelter Home and Children Home.
The children who come under CNCP are: · · · · · · · · Trafficked Children Missing, lost & found Children Children Engaging in Substance Abuse Children Affected by Conflict and disaster HIV/AIDS / Affected/ Infected Children Differently Able Children Working Children Mentally Ill Children Role of Panchayati Raj: [2]        Educate people about the law.

Implement the law to stop foeticide and infanticide and ensure registration of cases against the accused.
Ensure registration of all births and deaths in the village under the supervision of the Panchayat.

Inculcate awareness and gender sensitivity through Public Education Programmes.

Mobilise the community to act against such heinous crimes.

Liaise with ANMs and Aanganwadi workers in the village.

Campaign against all quacks and clinics that misuse the ultra-sound technology to the detriment of the girl child.
Role of Police Unit The key responsibility of Police Officers, whether designated as a Juvenile or Child Welfare Officer or not, should always keep in mind that a juvenile in need of care and protection, is required to be handled gently and cannot be treated at par with persons, having criminal antecedents.

241 There are various cases where children are made the scapegoat for increasing detection of crime at the police station levels.
There are children who are apprehended and lodged in the observation home in-spite of not being involved in the crime.

Above all, every child needs to be heard- A Case Study Rahul is a 13 year old boy belonging to an upper middle class family of Chunokoli Village, Andharua Gram Panchayat, Bhubaneswar Block, Khordha District.

He studies in the 8th standard.

Lately, he started behaving erratic.

A boy so fond of Cricket and hangouts had started closing himself up indoors.
He started having sudden anger bursts.

He would often wake up abruptly at night and would stay awake for the rest of it.

He often complained of head and body ache.

He discontinued playing with the children in the neighbourhood.

Eventually he went up to extremes like trying to injure himself by banging his head against the wall and slitting his wrists.

Concerned about this deterioration in his physical and mental health, his parents took him to a physician.
Upon probing during the check- up and after some questionnaire, Rahul spoke out.

He was sexually abused by one of his close relatives.

The abuser was his brother-in-law, who abused him whenever he visited his sister in the neighbourhood.

This continued for almost a month altogether as he used to threaten Rahul that he would kill him and his sister.

The entire incident is traumatic and scary as it can affect a child in various ways.
Hence, a child should be observed, should be heard to, and be given enough space to build his own zone where he feels safe and comfortable.

Every one tends to believe that child abuse happens elsewhere - not in their homes, their village or their community.

The reality is that the abused children are in all these spaces and need assistance and help.

Every village, urban community, school, CCI, shall have a Child Protection committee to recommend and monitor the implementation of child protection.
242 Gate keeping should be done by these committees.

Child representatives, a member of the DCPS, Aanganwadi workers, school teachers, auxiliary nurse midwives, as well as respected village members and civil society representatives also play a great role in child protection in the villages and urban slums.
References: ·     [1], [2] “Child Protection” – A Handbook for Panchayat Members, developed by HAQ Centre for Child Rights Panchayati Raj Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 3 The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 “Child Abuse in Orissa with Special Reference to Institutionalised Juvenile Delinquency” by Dr. Jharana Swain, Department of Sociology, Vani Vihar.
“Child Welfare and Development” by Chowdhary D Paul 243 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA- ODISHA PERSPECTIVE Pramila Prava Patnaik Violence against women is a serious problem in India.

Since 1990s, there has been increasing concern about violence against women in general, domestic violence in particular.

Domestic violence is one of the crimes against women which will lead to lessen their status in the society.
Responsible factors for violence against women are from foeticide to domestic violence to dowry deaths to physical assaults.

Discrimination starts even before women are born and continue till their death.

It affects women of every age, in every society and in every socio-economic group.

Women face gender discrimination in all aspects of their lives and there is no exception within the family as well.
Gender inequality and domestic violence are an integral part of every woman’s traditional culture and an integral part of their life.

Over 40% of Indian women have experienced domestic violence at some point in their married lives.
(Mohanty,2015).Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior by (i)one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation (ii) other members (mostly women members) of women’s in-laws families.
Domestic violence, so defined, has many forms, including physical 244 aggression or assault (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic deprivation.

(Vidushay and Sethi, 2016).

Occurrence of domestic violence mostly due to the above- mentioned factors was recognized as a criminal offence in India in 1983.
The offence chargeable under section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code that relates to domestic violence is any act of cruelty by a husband (or his family members) towards his wife.

The General Assembly of UNO 1designated 25th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, by resolution 54/134 of 17 December 1999, and invited all concerned to organize activities to raise public awareness of the problem.
The General Assembly first adopted declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women on 20th December 1993.

In India, however, until recently, there was no separate civil law to address the specific complexities associated with domestic violence.

After a decade long process of consultations and revisions, a comprehensive domestic violence law, known as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) 2005 was effective from 2006.
A legal framework has come into existence for curbing Domestic Violence by having a provision to file a case against a person with whom one is having a ‘domestic relationship’ in a `shared household’, and who has subjected the individual to ‘domestic violence’.

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 applies to actual or threatened abuse against women in their homes, including those of a physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic nature.
This aims to protect not only wives, but also live-in partners, sisters, mothers and widows.

The Act focuses on empowering victims by giving them rights over their abuser’s assets, rather than just penalizing offenders.

Violators may be sentenced up to one year in jail or a fine up to Rs.20,000/- (US$450) or both.

245 Number of related research studies has been carried out by different research scholars, researchers and Research Institutes.
A brief review is worthwhile in order to highlight what has already been done in the field.

Khapre, Chaudhury,et.el (2014) focused on domestic violence of rural women in their study.

The empirical study estimated the prevalence, associated vulnerability factors, and immediate reaction of women to domestic violence.

The study results showed that most common form of domestic violence was verbal or emotional abuse seen in almost all the victims followed by physical abuse in 25 %.
Victims consider drinking alcohol as the main cause for domestic violence.

Mohanty (2015) in her research paper mentioned the State Odisha as a very traditional state.

Her study also focused an overview of Domestic Violence and examined its prevalence in Rural Odisha.

Vidushy and Sethi (2016) made an attempt to find the prevalence of different forms of domestic violence against women and analyze the data on domestic violence against women in India.

They stated woman must not accept, she must challenge.
She must not be awed by that has been revolved around her.

In the ultimate analysis, empowering women is empowering society.

Mishra (2017) in her study focused on suffering of women in India in general and in the state of Odisha in particular.

To prevent this issue in the present scenario, she analysed the causes, consequences, law enforcement, respect of women rights and other related information available.
Keeping the issues and challenges in the Act and occurrences of domestic violence in all categories of families both in India and Odisha in view, the present paper has been prepared with the following objectives: Objectives of the study  To examine various forms of domestic violence in India.

246     To explain effects and consequences of domestic violence.

To study a comparative analysis of the data on domestic violence against women in India and Odisha.
To assess impact of legislations on incidence of domestic violence and challenges there in.

To suggest measures to curb incidence of domestic violence.

Forms of domestic violence The present paper reviewed various forms of domestic violence.

Physical violence Physical injury is the most visible form of domestic violence.
While defining Domestic V iolence under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, in section 3 of the act Physical abuse is explained as any act or conduct which is of such nature as to cause bodily pain, harm or danger to life, limb, or health or impair the health or development of the aggrieved person and include assault, criminal intimidation and criminal force.
Physical abuse is the most pervasive and ancient method of subordinating women in a family, it is the most common control mechanism applied against a woman within the domestic sphere.

Worldwide, the percentage of women who suffer serious injuries as a result of physical domestic violence tends to range from 19% - 55%.
Physical injuries as a result of domestic violence against women are more obvious than psychological ones, and can be more easily discerned by health professionals as well as courts of law in the context of legal prosecution.

Psychological/Emotional abuse 247 Emotional abuse has been gaining more and more recognition in recent years as an incredibly common form of domestic violence (and therefore a human rights abuse) within the private home throughout developing nations such as India.
Psychological abuse can erode a woman’s sense of self-worth and can be incredibly harmful to overall mental and physical wellbeing.

Emotional/psychological abuse can include harassment; threats; verbal abuse such as name-calling, degradation and blaming; stalking; and isolation.

Psychological abuses are one of the major forms of abuses faced by women.
The report by the United Nations World Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Washington-based International Center for Research on Women - polled 9,205 men, aged 18 to 49, across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra found that men who had experienced discrimination as children were four times more likely to be violent towards their partners.
The highest reports of violence came from Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, said the report, with more than 70 percent of men in these regions admitting to being abusive towards their wives and partners.

Sexual violence The Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 explains sexual abuse includes any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates, degrades or otherwise violates the dignity of women.
This form of abuse is specific to the interpersonal relation between a man and a woman most often in a marital relationship.

Of the many duties that a wife has towards her husband, performance of sexual duties is the primary one.

In present times, men use sexual violence to assert and maintain their superior masculinity.

This form of abuse is more common in households where men are literate and affluent.
In a survey it was found that 79% of men used sexual violence to control their wives’ fidelity and 57% of them had more than 6 years of formal education.

248 Economic Abuse Economic abuse is a deprivation of the basic need of a person to sustain him in a social set up.

It is a form of abuse when one intimate partner has control over the other partner’s access to economic resources.
Economic abuse may involve preventing a spouse from resource acquisition, limiting the amount of resources to use by the victim, or by exploiting economic resources of the victim.

Intellectual Abuse Different educational levels of spouses add to the isolation as the mental levels are different and both find difficulties in relating to each other at the intellectual level.

In this scenario, women come to be perceived as intellectually inferior, hysterical and unreliable and so on.
This isolates women with in a domestic sphere and limits their role to procreation of children, preferably sons and to the nurturing their families.

Even educated and economically independent women face this isolation as men in a patriarchal set up have controlled access to all economic activities and to all assets including knowledge which contribute to their profitability.

Moreover a woman’s work in India is shaped and monitored predominantly by patriarchal authorities at home and outside.
The Domestic Violence Act, 2005 has failed to address other type of abuses such as economic and intellectual abuse which have been coupled with emotional abuses.

Effects and consequences of Domestic Violence Violence of any type against women can cause long-term physical and mental health problems.

Violence and abuse affect not only the woman herself involved but also her children, families, and communities.
These effects include harm to an individual’s health, possibly long-term harm to children, and loss of work and harm to communities such as homelessness.

Whatever form of violence it takes, violence 249 against women can have serious long-term physical and emotional effects.

There are varied consequences of domestic violence depending on the victim, the age group, the intensity of the violence and frequency of the torment they are subjected to.
Living under a constant fear, threat and humiliation are some of the feelings developed in the minds of the victims as a consequence of an atrocious violence.

The consequences are different for different categories of victims as mentioned below: Battered women have tendency to remain quiet, agonized and emotionally disturbed after the occurrence of the torment.

A psychological set back and trauma because of domestic violence affects women’s productivity in all forms of life.
The suicide case of such victimized women is also a deadly consequence and the number of such cases is increasing.

A working Indian woman may leave from work place because of the ill-treatment at home or office.

She may also lose her inefficiency in work.

Her health may deteriorate if she is not physically and mentally sound.

Some women leave their home immediately after first few atrocious attacks and try to become self-dependent.
Their survival becomes difficult and painful when they have to work hard for earning their daily bread.

Some of them who leave their homes are forcefully involved in women trafficking and pornography.

This results in acquiring a higher risk of becoming a drug addict and suffering from HIV/AIDS.

One of the severe effects of domestic violence against women is its effect on her children.
It is nature’s phenomenon that a child generally has a greater attachment towards the mother for she is the one who gives birth.

The day when mother’s grief and suffering is revealed, a child may become upset about the happening deeply.

Children may not even comprehend the severity of the problem.

They may turn silent, reserved and express solace to the mother.
When the violence 250 against women is openly done in front of them since their childhood, it may have a deeper and gruesome impact in their mindset.

They get used to such happenings at home, and have a tendency to reciprocate the same in their lives.

It’s common especially in rural homes in India which are victimized by the evil of domestic violence.

In case of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), violence against women leads them to maintain a distance from their partner.
Their sexual life is affected adversely.

Many of them file for divorce and seek separation which again affects the life of children.

Data analysis The PWDVA provides a definition of domestic violence that is comprehensive and includes all forms of physical, emotional, verbal, sexual and economic violence.

It covers both actual acts of such violence and threat of violence.
The present study has made an attempt to analyse the situation of Odisha and India based on Fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 2015-16, National Crime Bureau Report,2017 and Police Department, Government of Odisha,2017 Table- A Comparative analysis of incidence of violence against women of age 15-49 (India and Odisha as per NFHS-4) Type of Violence Physical Violence by anyone Physical Violence during pregnancy India Odisha 30% 4% 33% 3% Residents (physical violence among ever married women) Rural Urban 32% 25% 35.8% 23.4% Perpetrators of physical violence among ever married women Current husband Former husband 83% 7% 87.8% 0.2% 251 Perpetrators of physical violence among never married women Mother/step mother Father/step father Sister or brothers Teachers Spousal violence (Physical, sexual and emotional violence) Seeking help of others 60% 32% 26% 15% 33% 14% 57.2% 29.7% 38.4% 13.9% 35% 13% Source: NFHS-4, 2015-16 (India and Odisha Report) As per NFHS-4, among women age 15-49, 33% in Odisha have experienced physical violence by anyone against 30% in India.
Among ever married women, 35% women in Odisha have experienced physical or sexual violence.

The experience of physical violence is more common among women in rural areas (32%) than among women in urban areas (25%).

The most common perpetrator for ever married women was the husband and for never married women, it was the mother or step-mother.

The data shows that 87.8% in Odisha and 83% women in India reported that husband was the perpetrator of physical violence.
Among never married women, the highest 57.2% in Odisha and 60% in India mentioned mother/step mother as the perpetrator.

Regarding violence during pregnancy, it was found that 2% women in Odisha and 3% in India were the victim of physical violence.

Incidence of spousal violence against women is common in India.
The survey report reveals 35% of ever married women of Odisha have experienced spousal physical or sexual violence from their current husband, 12% reported emotional violence and 3% ascertained that they have initiated violence against their husbands.

The prevalence of spousal violence is comparatively lower among educated women than non- schooling women.

The survey report reveals that 1 in every 6 women in Odisha have experienced physical or sexual spousal 252 violence.
Only 13% women in Odisha and 14% in India have sought help to end the violence.

Police Department, Government of Odisha, 2017 report reflects registration of domestic violence cases due to dowry and non-dowry cases.

Dowry cases include homicide, suicide and dowry torture.
In the year 2017, a total of 5562 cases were registered, out of which, 3347 cases have been charge sheeted, 29 ended as Final Report True, 58 cases ended as FRMF/ML2 , 29 cases ended as False, and 24 cases closed due to different reasons and remaining 2075 cases are under investigation.

As per NCRB3 Report, in 2015, 113,403 cases were filed under the section called “cruelty by husband and relatives”.

Trends differ from state to state.


For instance, in Andhra Pradesh, cases under “cruelty by husbands and relatives” decreased from 9,164 to 6,121, a 33% fall between 2006 and 2015, while dowry deaths decreased 66% from 519 in 2006 to 174 in 2015.

Cases under “cruelty by husbands and relatives” increased by over 171% in West Bengal from 7414 in 2006 to 20,163 in 2015.

There was little change in the number of dowry deaths recorded in Bihar from 1,188 in 2006 to 1,154 in 2015.
Impact of legislations on incidence of domestic violence The main legislation of Government of India to end domestic violence against women is Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) 2005.

The Act came into force from 2006.

The present study tried to assess the impact of the Act by comparing data of NFHS-3 (2005-06) when the act was not effective in true spirit and NFHS-4 (2015-16), a decade has been passed from the enactment of the Act.
Impact of the act on the incidence of violence in Odisha and India are presented below: Odisha status 253  Women experiencing physical violence, incidences have been increased from 24% to 33%, sexual violence 3% to 7%, and only 1% decline in either physical or sexual violence.

   Regarding incidences of spousal physical or sexual violence, it has been decreased from 38% to 35% and emotional violence from 20% to 12%.

There is decrease of women never exposing sexual violence from 85% to 75%.
Similarly, there is decrease of women experiencing violence have sought help to end violence from 19% to 13% Among women experiencing sexual violence, only 3 percent have sought help from others including Police both in NFHS-3 and 4.

India status    The percentage of women age 15-49 who have experienced physical violence has been declined from 34% to 30%.

Incidence of sexual violence by anyone has been decreased from 9% to 6%.
Overall, women’s ever experience of spousal physical or sexual violence has been declined from 37% to 31%.

The above analysis indicates that in Odisha, the violence by anyone has no impact rather it gives negative indication.

But the impact of the act has positive impact on spousal violence.

The national status shows positive impact on both physical and spousal violence.
Issues and challenges Earlier there was widespread hesitancy amongst the Indian women who experienced domestic violence to report or prosecute against such crimes.

Domestic violence was often 254 not handled as a legitimate crime or complaint, but more of a private or family matter.

But now this trend has changed.

Section 498-A has been introduced to protect women from Domestic Violence.

Caste, class, religious bias and race also determine whether action is taken or not.
For example, poor or lower- caste females do not have the same access to legal enforcement or education and often have trouble getting help from law enforcement.

Even stringent measures under the Act taken in India, activists say that police are reluctant to register cases, the quality of investigations is poor and conviction rates are low.

Some socio-economic factors are also responsible for less number of registration of cases.
Most women are also financially dependent on their abusers and have nowhere to go if they complain to police about being mistreated.

Lack of awareness about the Act/laws related to protection of women among poor and uneducated is another causative factor supplementing violence against women.

Challenges at implementation level The 2005 Act is impractical and consequently non- implementable in favour of those that need the protection most.
The law should target for poor and illiterate first who are subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuses (Shailaja Chandra, 2010).

The Act is comprehensive and tries to address all issues related to women.

But having some loopholes, it is very difficult to achieve the very purpose of enactment of law.

Most lawyers are not aware of the concept of service providers (SP) and therefore do not coordinate with them in providing adequate legal services, according to the Lawyers Collective report.
Furthermore, the judiciary is hardly aware of the role of the SPs, for either filling in the Domestic incident report (DIR), or for counseling.

255 For speedy trials–the PWDVA mandates that the magistrate shall endeavour to dispose of every application filed, within a period of sixty from first day of its hearing–are not a reality.
The following are some of the suggestive recommendations given for curbing incidence of violence in India and Odisha: Suggestive recommendations         Awareness about gender equality and women’s rights should be instilled in boys and girls from a very early age in order to bring about a change in the mindset of the future generation.

Legal literacy Programmes should be organised on a regular and systematic basis at the local community level.
Campaigns, workshops/seminars should be encouraged to organize at block/district and state level for wide spread of the Act Elected Panchayat Representatives should be given special orientation on the subject.

It would be easier for them to track the cases in rural areas.

They can at their level resolve the problems in Gramsabha/Pallisabha itself.
Media should be used to sensitize the officials and the public about domestic violence so as to develop a positive attitude towards women in general, and women victims, in particular.

Protection of women should be ensured who file cases against their husbands/in-laws.

Government should ensure proper enforcement of existing laws related to women’s rights.

Government should also ensure to expedite registered domestic violence cases for speedy disposal.
256  Women should be made aware of Women’s Commission; offices of the Women’s commission should be opened at the district and lower levels.

   Police should be trained to be respectful and courteous to women in distress, List of NGOs and governmental organizations dealing with women’s issues should be made known to the public.

Sensitization programmes should be organized for the policy makers.
CONCLUSION Despite the progressive legislations, incidence of domestic violence against women have been occurring in both rural and well-to-do families of urban areas.

No society can claim to be free of such violence; the only difference is in degree and trends.

Rural women accept this type of violence as part of their culture and women in affluent and educated families keep the family internal violence hidden because of social prestige.
Middle and lower middle class woman does not want to register violence case against her husband/in-law members, because she has a fear of threatening of killing or divorce.

In Indian society, a divorcee suffers from indignity in the society.

She has compulsions for her children also.

This forces her to refrain from complaining though the situation is beyond her threshold adding to her plight.
Lack of awareness about the Act/laws related to protection of women among poor and uneducated is another causative factor supplementing violence against women.

Hence, in order to extirpate domestic violence against women, awareness programmes should be organised at different level and woman should be protected who file cases against their husbands/in-laws.

References 257 1.

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Khapre,M.P, Chaudhury,S.G and et.el (2014),’ Domestic Violence against Married Women in Rural Area of Wardha District: A Community Based Cross Sectional Study’, National Journal of Community Medicine, pISSN 0976 3325%eISSN 2229 6816 Mishra,R (2017), ‘Violence against Women in India: A Study on Odisha’ IJCRT-Volume-5, Issue-4.
Mohanty, P (2015),’ Domestic Violence against Women in Rural Odisha’ Human Rights International Research Journal : Volume 3 Issue 2 (2015), ISSN 2320-6942 Patnaik, P.P (2011), ‘Women and domestic violence-its magnitudes; ’Understanding Politics & Society Journal, Vol-1 2011, ISSN 2231- 1114.
Shailaja Chandra,(2010), Towards protecting Women, The Hindu, June, 17, 2010 Sharon.S.P,(2014),’Domestic Violence Against Women In India: A Family Menace’ Indian Journal of Applied Research-vol-4, Issue-12, December special issue, 2014, ISSN No- 2249-555X Vidushy,V and Sethi.G (2016),’ Domestic violence in India- An analysis’, International Journal of Applied Research 2016, 2(8): p. 461-465 The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 2017 Report National Family Health Survey,3 (2005-06) and 4 (2015-16),India Report National Family Health Survey, 3 (2005-06) and 4 (2015-16),Odisha Report  258 COMBATING CHILD MARRIAGE MENACE : A GENDER PERSPECTIVE Sunanda Kanungo It is palpable that, Child Marriage is one form of the manifestation of violence against women and most shattering state of affairs in the Gender and Development scenario.
Violence against women is the violation of Human Rights.

Unlike charity, violence against women has its origin at home.

The grim situation of violence is deep rooted in each and every society across the globe.

From the time immemorial women are subjugated at each sphere of life.

Their entire life is entangled with many forms of violence.
Rape, Marital rape, Domestic violence, Dowry violence, Forced marriage, Female foeticide, Acid throwing, Sexual violence at home, work place and in college campus, Female genital multination, Forced sterilization and abortion, Denial of medical care, Human trafficking, Forced prostitution, Restriction on freedom of movement and expression of opinion etc.

are more crucial factors responsible for their status and position in the society.
Even their conception is a question very often raised by the parents and resulting force abortion as the form of female infanticide.

During late 1960 and early 1970 some feminist started the movement to bring the issue to forefront for the wellbeing and betterment of women and girls.

Later this movement caught the attention of other elite group at National and International as well as local level to reflect on the issues.
259 Strategies were evolved to tackle the problems and provide all sorts of supports to the victims.

It has been a continuous process till date.

But despite the efforts and assurance to gender equality from all corners of the globe, the lives of millions of women and girls are inundated by disempowerment, discrimination and poverty as their rights are less widely accepted.
Gender equality and well being of the children always go hand in hand, if the women enjoy full and productive lives in the society, the children prosper.

But to our surprise child marriage has been the most intricate issue in the global phenomena across the religion, caste, creed, culture and ethnicity.

It is the fundamental violation of Child Rights as the marriage takes place before the prescribed age of 18.

If we look at the history, it has deep rooted origin from ancient and medieval society.
The authoritarian rulers were used to subdue the girls and women as a result the child marriage system emerged.

During that period the girls were affianced with male counterpart even before they got maturity.

At that time, the foreign rulers used to rape the girls and women, hence to protect them the parents were forced to get their daughters married at an early age.
Further the practised norms of Patriarchal Society are equally responsible for the prevalence of child marriage as they consider girls and women are inferior to boys and men in the house and society as well.

This subordinate attitude compelled the girls to remain silent and undergo the traumas of early marriage.

Many factors fuel the institution of child marriage.
Limited education opportunity, low quality of education, inadequate infrastructure, unemployment, extreme poverty, dowry, oppressive traditional value, weak enforcement of law, human trafficking, patriarchal social norms, & belief system, lack of knowledge on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and lack of community participation are the major factors gearing up the system of child marriage.

In India it is 260 more rampant in rural areas with 48% than in urban areas with 29%.
Girls from poor families, Schedule Caste and Scheduled Tribes and lower strata of the society with lack of education eventually fall prey to the vicious circle of child marriage.

Girls are often seen and considered as the burden with economic liability in the family.

To ease the family financial burden, the parents get them married off early.

The patriarchal value system does not set girls free to take any decision of their own.
The value system attaches paramount importance to the sexuality and virginity of girls/ daughters.

To retain the family’s reputation they prefer to get their daughters married early.

Tradition and culture of the society also influence the institution of child marriage.

In most part of the Sub African countries where after the puberty the girls are considered as women in the eyes of community.

It has been an age old practice continuing from generation to generation.
Poverty is another and most crucial factor underpinning child marriage which compels the poor families to get their daughters married even before the age of 15 years.

Due to acute poverty sometimes girls consider marriage as an alternative to secure their future as well as lower the family burden and expenses.

The cost of marriage and the dowry system also contribute significantly in the families and drag them into poverty.
In many poor families even the parents do not hesitate to sell their daughters for some money.

In case of educating the children the families favour boy’s education as the earnings after the education would remain in the house.

So far as the safety and security of girls in the society is concerned, it has been always at stake.

To safeguard their chastity and to protect them from the physical abuse and sexual assault marriage is the ultimate solution for the parents.
261 In pursuance to this lack of knowledge on enforcement of law is very pertinent in the society.

Most of the parents are unaware about the legal provisions obtainable for them to deal with the issues and raise voice against it.

Globally more than one third of the women between the ages of 20-24 are getting married before they attain the age of 18 (UNICEF, State of the World’s Children, 2017).
It is based on MICH and DHS including other surveys as well as reference from the most recent year’s data available during the period 2010-2016.

Globally 21% of young women and 4% of young men were married before their 18th birthday.

The child marriage is high in Niger 76%, Central African Republic 68%, Chad 67% and Bangladesh 57%.

Further the data reveals that, while in the present situation 1 in 5 girls are set to be married before the age of 18.
Every year 12 millions girls are entering into this marriage institution which indicates that, 23 girls in every minute are getting married.

Over 650 million women alive today were married as children.

India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Brazil, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Mexico, Indonesia, Democratic republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Philippines, Egypt, Niger, Mozambique, Sudan, Nepal, Afganistan, Thailand and Kenya are the twenty countries which spell out the highest absolute number of child marriage.
Child marriage is illegal in India and punishable by the court of Law.

The legal age for marriage is 18 for girl and 21 for boy.

Despite that, India has 27%of child brides in case of 18 years and 7% in case of 15 years in the world.

Earlier it was nearly 47% of girls in India enter into the institution of child marriage before their 18th birthday.
(“Child Marriage around the World: India”).The central and western part of it witnesses the highest child marriages in comparison to eastern and southern part.

The other states like Jharkhanda, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhatisgada and Tripure witness the child marriage higher than National average.

262 Child marriage has very adverse impact on both girls and boys.

But girls are largely more affected with much intensity than boys.
They face enormous challenges in the society.

They feel isolated and disempowered being deprived of their rights to Physical and mental growth, Health, Emotional development, Educational opportunities and Social Security & Safety.

The child marriage forces the children to enter into a state of affairs where their physical and mental growth does not permit them to deal with sexual act as well as physical abuse.

They are not prepared for the role of either wives or mothers.
They are more likely to face health hazards and complicacies during pregnancy and delivery.

Approximately 14 millions of adolescent girls between the ages of 15-19 give birth each year with a double risk of losing life in comparison to women in their age of 20.

Besides this, they are more likely prone to sexually transmitted infections including HIV/Aids.
Nearly 13% of married girls between the ages of 15-19 usually experience sexual violence by their husband while only 10% of married girls between the ages of 30-39 experience the same.

In Odisha Child Marriage has been persistent and stands by the rank of 13th among States in India.
During a study conducted by The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) it was revealed that in Odisha, 21.3 per cent young women in the age group of 20-24 years (during the study period) were married off before the legal age limit of 18-year.

Malkangiri(39.03%), Nabarangpur(37.9%), Mayurbhanj(35%), Koraput(34.7%), Rayagada(34.4%), Nayagarh(31.3%), are the top 6 districts which recorded more than 30 per cent women aged between 20 and 24 years married off before the legal age.
Malnutrition, illiteracy, dropouts, high infant and maternal mortality rate, domestic violence, female foeticides and child trafficking are the ill effects of child marriage in the society.

Its impact not only has negative repercussion on girls, boys and society but also has wider effect on the augmentation and 263 development of the Nation.

It has been a standing impediment for all most all development goals i.e.
to Eradicate Poverty and Hunger, Achieve Universal Primary Education, Promote Gender Equality, Reduce Infant Mortality, Improve Maternal Health and Protection from Violence under Millsennium Development Goal (MDG).

Hence the prime thrust of post-2015 agenda of MDG is to combat child marriage through UNICEF in India.

In the last decade 25 millions of child marriages were prevented worldwide.
During 2000, one in three women between the age of 20 and 24 were set to be married before the age of 18 while at the present context there has been a decline to one in five women between the age group of 20 and 24 are entering into marriage.

The declining rate is very slow.

India has witnessed one of the largest declines in the state of child marriage from (from 54% in 1992-93 to 27 % in 2016) and in nearly all states.
But the pace of change remains slow, not up to contentment especially for girls in the age group 15-18 years.

Many forums have instituted, many strategies have been adopted by organisations of International and National repute to combat this issue to avert child marriage and defend children.

Government has started initiation through the Law (“Early and Child Marriage in India”).
  The Child Marriage Restraint Bill was introduced by Rai Sahib Harbilas Sarda in 1927 where the minimum age for marriage of girl was 14 and 18 for boys.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 makes it legal for girls to marry at 18 years and for boys at 21 years.

This Act increased the penalties for conducting a child marriage ceremony thus create the position of Child Marriage Prohibition Officer.

Child marriage can be made 264   voidable by the child but within two years of becoming an adult.
It is a punishable non-cognizable and non- bailable offence with a fine up to INR 100,000, or up to two years of imprisonment, or both.

The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 introduced with a fine up to INR 15,000, or the dowry amount, whichever is higher, and imprisonment for between six months and five years.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, the Domestic V iolence Act, 2005, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 introduced for massive awareness at all level to take the help of law to fight against such evils.

India is one among 12 countries selected to be a part and partial of UNFPA and UNICEF’s Global Program to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage.
The Government has used cash incentives by introducing Dhana Laxmi Scheme and Apni Beti Apna Dhan, adolescent’s Empowerment Program through Kishory Shakti Yojana to motivate parents to bring attitudinal changes in their thought process.

Besides this India has become a member in South Asian Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SIAEVSE).

A regional action plan has been developed to end the child marriage and it has already been implemented since 2015.
Besides these efforts Government, civil Society and other partners must come together and ensure girls have access to Education, Health facility and Life skill trainings.

Unless and until the involvement of local community, empowerment of girls & parents, enforcement of law and massive awareness at each level is ensured it would be difficult to accomplish our goal.
 265 DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS Chhanda Rani Mohanty Adolescence is defined as a phase of life characterized by rapid physical growth & development, social & psychological changes and maturity, sexual maturity, experimentation, development of adult mental processes & shift from earlier socio-economic dependence towards relative independence.
These changes pose numerous developmental challenges like increasing need for independence evolving sexuality, transitioning through education and commencing employment, consolidating advanced cognitive abilities etc.

The period of gradual transition from childhood to adulthood that normally begins with the onset of signs of puberty.

The transition may be quick or may extent over several years.
Adolescence may be divided in to three developmental stages based on physical, psychological and social change; early adolescent, mid adolescent and late adolescent.

Girls generally begin their adolescent growth spurt at an earlier (around 9 years of age), the pubertal growth spurt lasts between two to four years.

Weight gain in girls typically happens six months following the greatest gains in linear growth.

Adolescence is further characterized by cognitive, emotional and psychological development.
India has around 120 million adolescent (10-19 years) girls, accounting for nearly 10% of its population.

Despite their 266 numbers, girls in India are a largely invisible population.

Prevailing socio-cultural customs and norms leave them powerless to decide and build their future.

A wide range of issues and concerns face by adolescents in India, including nutritional deficiencies, reproductive health problems, sexually transmitted diseases, and mental & physical stress-related problems.
Nutrition and Health:- Nutrition influences growth and development throughout infancy, childhood & adolescence, it is however, during the adolescence that nutrient needs are the greatest.

During this period up to 45% of skeletal growth takes place & 15 to 25% of adult height is achieved & up to 37% of total bone mass may be accumulated.

A healthy diet throughout puberty & adolescence is important to provide nutrients that support optimal physical growth & cognitive development.
Stunting is commonly observed among adolescents in undernourished population.

Under nutrition in adolescent girls also leads to poor academic performance & low productivity in the work force later in life.

The pre-pregnancy anemic status of adolescent girls is crucial and has long term intergenerational consequences.

Anemic adolescent mothers are at a high risk of miscarriages, maternal mortality and giving birth to still birth and low birth weight babies with low iron reserves.
The period of adolescence is vulnerable and exposed to many health risks.

Poor menstrual hygiene and early sexual exposure can lead to reproductive tract infections with long term morbidities.

Sexually transmitted infections may persist as chronic or recurrent infections and may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease involving cervix, uterus, fallopian tube and ovaries.

Young adolescent are also vulnerable to STDs due to the early onset of sexual activity and low contraceptive use.
Any nutritional deficiency experienced during this critical period of life can have an effect on the future health of the 267 individual and their offspring.

Under-nutrition in adolescents’ girls frequently goes unnoticed by their families or by themselves.
Under-nutrition negatively affects them; affecting their ability to learn and work at maximum productivity, increasing the risk of poor obstetric outcomes for teen mothers, arresting the healthy development of future children, affecting sexual maturation and growth and preventing the attainment of healthy teeth if a youth doesn’t get energy, protein, calcium and iron.

According to NFHS 4 report 58.5 % in the age group of 15 to 49 years were found to be anemic in India and 51 % in Odisha.
Adolescents have increased requirement of iron due to rapid growth.

Iron requirement may be further increased because of infections such as malaria, hook worm, sickle cell disease etc.

heavy menstrual blood loss may be an important factor of iron deficiency anemia.

A deficiency of iron causes anemia which leads to fatigue and weakness.

Multiple micro nutrients deficiency are likely more common than single deficiency in adolescent girls.
Adequate intake of calcium throughout childhood and adolescence is important for proper mineralization of growing bones, attainment of peak bone mass.

Vitamin A deficiency may have adverse effect on bone growth and sexual maturation of adolescents.

Because of its role in immunity, inadequate intake of this vitamin also increases risk of infectious diseases.

Zinc is important in adolescences because of its role in growth and sexual maturation.

Adolescents need additional energy for growth and activity.
Inadequate protein intake may reduce in linear growth, delay in sexual maturation and reduce accumulation of lean body mass.

Early Marriage:- Marriage during adolescent period directly threatens girl’s health & well-being.

Marriage is often followed by pregnancy, even if a girl is not yet physically or mentally ready.

Girls who 268 are married may also be exposed to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
When girls marry, they are often forced to drop out of school, so that they can assume household responsibilities.

One in four Indian women (26.8%) is married before 18 years and 7.8% of women aged 15 to 19 are pregnant or mothers.

(NFHS-4) where as in Odisha 21.3% girls married before 18 years & 7.6 % pregnant during 15 to 19 years age (NFHS ) .
Early marriage enlarges girl’s fertility span; malnourishment combined with early pregnancy results in physical wastage, birth complications and reduced chance of survival of the infant and mother.

The resultant high infant mortality rate provides the impulse for further pregnancies which result in even further physical depletion.

Thus early marriage reduces the productivity of adult women in every way.
Pregnancy during Adolescent:- Pregnancy during adolescence a time when the girl is still growing herself has been associated with increased risk of miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight infant and increased maternal & neonatal mortality.

They are also at a high risk for pregnancy-related complications, like hypertension, anemia, HIV etc.

Data shows that 12% of all women aged 15- 19 have already had a child and 4% were pregnant, in other words, 1 in 6 women aged 15-19 had begun child bearing.
(NFHS-3) maternal mortality ratio are almost half of all maternal death are reported among 15 to 24 years old.

Education:- A positive trend in recent years has been that the gender gap in literacy in the age group of 10-19 years has decreased from earlier years.

Literacy rates rose from 57.6% to 88.2% among female in between 1991 to 2011.

But there are still wide rural-urban differentials.

The school dropout rate among adolescents is as high as 53%.
Girls are often taken out of 269 school to share the family responsibilities such as carrying for younger siblings, domestic labour, child marriage, cooking & other household works.

Violence:- Adolescent experiences many forms of violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse or psychological & domestic violence.

The violence against them occurs both in the family, school, community & also outside marriage.
Crime against adolescents take many shapes & forms, ranging from eve teasing and abduction, to rape, incent, prostitution, battering, sexual harassment and so on.

Major causes of violence against adolescent girls are the social custom of dowry poverty, low education and low status of women & girls in society.

These problems mostly go unnoticed as the victim suffers in silence because of fear and social stigma.
Certain group of adolescents are particularly venerable to physical violence, including those with disabilities, those living on the streets, those conflicts with the law and displaced children.

This indirectly affects the physical, mental health and the academic performance.
Mental Health:- Nutritional disorder (both malnutrition & over nutrition), tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, other substance use, high risk sexual behaviors, stress, common mental disorders and injuries (accident, suicide) specifically affect adolescent population and have long lasting impact.

There is a high prevalence of psychiatric illness among adolescents.

Adolescent girl suffer from emotional problems such as anxiety, anger, irritation, loneliness and depression.
They undergo a complex process of emotional, physical, social changes and sometimes they fail to adjust with these changes leading to mental health problems.

Some adolescents may be trafficked to forced labor, marriage, prostitution or domestic work.

They need special attention and care for their emotional adjustment.

270 CONCLUSION Adolescence is not only a time of vulnerability; it is also an age of opportunity.

This is especially true in case of adolescent girls.
The more education a girl receives, the more likely she is to postpone marriage & motherhood – and more likely it is that her children will be healthier and better educated.

The focus on the development and human rights of adolescents would both enhance and accelerate the fight against poverty, inequality and gender discrimination.
Adopting a life-cycle approach to child development, with greater attention given to the care, empowerment and protection of adolescents girls, is the stepping stone to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty.

The legal and policy framework addressing the rights of the adolescent girls has undergone a shift in recent years, from a welfare oriented approach to one that places adolescent girl rights in the centrality of low and policies.
Some laws and policies concerning women rights and children rights also apply to adolescent girls.

Some of these are: Rights of children to free and compulsory education act (CFCE ACT) to guarantee education of girls up to secondary level.

Empower adolescent girls through Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for the Adolescent Girls is also known as SABLA.
This scheme takes a multisector approach at empowering girl aged 11 to 18 years by improving their nutrition and health, providing live skill education and supporting vocational training.

Prohibition on Child Marriage Act, 2016 guarantees a restriction on marriage till a girl is of 18 years of age.

Child labour (prohibition and regulation) act prohibits child labour in hazardous occupation.
Judicious implementation of the act and schemes can help in tracking the challenges and turn them into opportunities for the young girls of the nation.

Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 provides for an effective and efficacious relief against domestic violence to women.

271 An integrated and holistic approach to the Girl Child’s Development is essential for the creation of a new environment in which she can be valued and nurtured.
The adolescents should be protected from abuse, discrimination, exploitation within the family, community, social media, government and non-government agencies.

Now she is not expected to play her role only as a future mother.

Rather, she should be allowed to evolve into her fullest potential in aspects related to health, nutrition, education and participation in various facets of democratic order.

Reference 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


Census-2011 NHFS 3 & 4 The state of the world’s children-2011 Nutrition in adolescence- issues & challenges for the health sector- WHO Reaching Adolescent girls, Kishori Shakti Yojana Dept.

of Women & Child Development, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India Adolescent Health; Present Status & its Related programs in India.

Are we in the Right Direction?
Journal of clinical & Diagnostic Research Rights of Adolescent Girls in India; A Critical Look at Laws & Policies, Saumya Uma, Vacha trust, Mumbai Progress for children, A Report Card on adolescents, UNICEF Challenges faced by Adolescent girls in the Indian context, Dr. Moly Kunuvilla&Nisha p, International Journal of current Research  272 WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH PROGRAMMES IN ODISHA: A CRITICAL REVIEW, EFFICACY AND SUGGESTIVE MEASURES Sanghamitra Jena Background The study mostly tried to access latest information about health and nutrition status.
The relevant research based facts and substances were gathered through various standardised sources, which could supplement to redesign structure of the present study.

The entire review has been categorised into two broad sections; first, explains about the existing conditions of present livelihoods along with the contribution of development programmes implemented by the government in different phase.
Followed by, the second section which throws light on health sectors and the dimensions based on the present context, giving priority to address nutrition level of both women and children.

Odisha Policy For Girls And Women The policies of the state on girls and women came into force in 2014.

The purpose of this policy is to upscale the status of girls as well as women and also to bring them into mainstream with the objectives of overall growth and development.
Though consistent efforts have been made to improve their economic, social and political condition but it is a fact that in last few years they have been neglected and 273 suppressed in many angles.

Major concern for women and girls is to address security & protection, growth & development and overall wellbeing in the life cycle.

Considering our society, it has been observed that bias and prejudice starts from the womb which continues thereafter in the entire lifecycle.
Traditional value system, societal pressure and patriarchal mindset of the people make them more vulnerable, but collective responsibility and effective governance system could bring some radical changes to access their legitimate rights.

Government of Odisha has framed a policy for women and girls through which it is expected to reduce gap of gender inequality.

In addition to this another thrust area is to create opportunities for accessing better resources from the available sources.
The policy is intended to address few selected concern areas as like; health & nutrition, livelihood, decision making and above all their safety and security.

It is expected that the new policy would bring some changes in the above mentioned areas.

The policy is backed by few gray areas as concerned, these are like; more than 2/5th portion of people are still coming under disadvantaged group and nearly 1/3rd people live below the poverty line.
Both sex ratio and child sex ratio is in declined order in Odisha since last two decades (Census 2011).

In addition to this other indicative figures also giving almost similar situation; highest order of Infant Mortality Rate (as estimated male holds 52 and female backed by 54 numbers per 1000 live births)1, under five mortality rate (Male 70 and Female 74) also comparatively higher to boys.

For instance, in few states it is also reflecting wider gender gap.
More than 2/3rd girls (67%) aged 6-59 months and six out of ten women (61.2%) in the productive age are anaemic2.

The Maternal Mortality Ratio of the state has also declined from 258 (2009) to 235 per 100000 live births (2012), in fact the position is still holds within three top positions3.

As per 2011 census figure, the state literacy rate is 72.9% where as 64% women are illiterate but women literacy is widely varying drastically where Nabarangpur represents 35.8% and Khurdha district holds 81.6%4.
From the census figure, it reveals that wider gap of women literacy is 274 significantly related to have lower level of awareness about the services those are essential for their survival and leading a dignified life as a whole.

Guiding Principles There are certain guiding principles of the policy for girls and women ensuring dignified life by accessing entitlements and rights within the structural frame work and implementation of process of policy.
In terms of avoiding non-discrimination, the policy has demarcated the process of equity and equality of accessible of existing available resources.

Looking into socio- economic and political aspects of girls and women the policy has adopted affirmative action which is expected to be accepted through this new approach of intervention.
Focusing on various stages of life span there are selected concerned areas like nutrition, livelihood, empowerment, social protection etc which has been inventively addressed.

The vulnerable and marginalised women and girls have been focused and government acted accordingly.

The most important aspect of development as far as government’s concerned; people’s participation irrespective of cultural diversity and social discrimination.
In this development path, the policy has also given adequate attention to civil society organisations, corporate bodies and other allied institutions those who are committed towards the upgradation of girl and women status.

Policy Directives In the development process women’s health is a primary concern for the state.
The government policies are addressing major thrust area of women health which has been planned out to address in the areas of “survival, health &nutrition, education, livelihoods, ownership, decision making, safety, security and protection”.

Women and girls from marginalised communities have been targeted on top priority, thereafter subsequent priority will be given to others accordingly.
In Odisha, there is wider regional diversity and cultural disparities 275 in “availability, acceptability and accessibility of health services” resulting in women as the most vulnerable group.

Few remarkable steps have been pointed out to address effectively at the community level for the purpose of protecting girl child and empowering women.
     Ensuring effective use of Pre- Conception & Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act 1994 which is used as key weapon to address child sex ratio where community participation is one of the key important areas of concern.

Mandate of audit and strict monitoring where more than five female foetus death were reported.

Concerning to health and nutritional security of women and girls subsequent food provision both in terms of quantity and quality will be ensured.
Ensure safe abortion, choice of abortion and family planning services in the selected areas, district is one of them.

Provision of essential health requirements for girls and women like; safe drinking water, separate toilet facilities, sanitary napkins, safety, security and privacy as concerned.
Some significant programmes initiated by the government which have ensured health security of the pregnant and lactating mothers as well adoloscent girls, such as; Mamata, Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana (BKRY), Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana (BSSY), Biju Swasthya Kalyana Yojana (BSKY).

Mamata (maternity benefit scheme in Odisha) The maternity benefit scheme, MAMATA was launched in Odisha on 5th September 2011.
This conditional cash transfer scheme provides monetary support of Rs.5000/- to the pregnant and lactating women to enable them to seek improved nutrition 276 and promote health seeking behaviour.

The amount is transferred to the account of the beneficiary in four instalments if they meet the desired conditions.

At present, the beneficiaries are entitled to get sum of rupees 6000/- and other terms and conditions remain same.
The target groups are the Pregnant and lactating woman of 19 & above age group, for the first two live births except those who avail maternity benefit (who are themselves employees or wives of employees of State Govt / Central Govt / PSUs).
The scheme aims to provide partial wage compensation for pregnant and nursing mothers to enable them to rest adequately during their pregnancy and after delivery and to increase utilization of maternal and child health services, especially antenatal care, postnatal care and immunization and to improve mother and child care practices, especially exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding of infants.
In order to enlighten the tribal population for successful implementation of various developmental programmes for bringing improvement in their quality of life, there is need for systematic and authentic Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities in the scheduled areas targeted at the ST population.

Specifically in maternity benefit scheme named as MAMATA, the people are not so much aware about the scheme.
The reason behind that the first hand information stakeholders have not been working proactively as scheme demands.

Therefore, the technicality of the scheme for conditional cash transfer needs to be clear and transparent without any ambiguity.

In all districts the study team found that around 60% people know about the provisions of sum of rupees 5000/- against institutional delivery.

Due to lack of supportive documents delay of payment and also completely stop payment has been noticed.
Major Concern Areas   ANM visits every month for health check up.

Pregnant women do not generally face any difficulties at the time of registration.

277                 The beneficiaries are facing difficulties in terms of submitting documents as per the demand of concern bank at the time of opening bank account.

Beneficiaries take immunization doses on Village Health Nutrition Day (VHND).
AWW are forcing the beneficiaries to open only in state bank even though it is far from the village.

Few beneficiaries had given documents to the AWW for the purpose of opening bank account, after that they could not know about the status of bank account.

Beneficiaries got sum of Rs 5000/- through bank account.

Beneficiaries were identified on Village Health Nutrition Day (VHND) program.

Fix date of each month in every revenue village for free Health check up and weighing.
Registers name at the AWC during first two months of conception.

Sometimes facing difficulties while opening bank account in nationalized banks.

Both ASHA and AWW provide supports to open bank account.

On time cash transfer to the beneficiaries account.

Participants were not aware about monitoring mechanism in place, such as ANM & CDPO.

Records like health check up, registration etc maintained by AWW but participants were not aware of it.

Received Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablets and TT vaccination.
Role of Janch Committee and Mother’s Committee has not known to participants fully.

Delay in release of instalments is major challenges sometimes it takes- 4-6 months.

278  Irregularity of Mother Child Protection (MCP) Card distribution and proper maintenance are also noticed in some cases.

Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana Exclusive scheme on declining child sex ratio named as Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana was launched in the year 2016.

The scheme was designed based on “ Odisha State Policy for Girls and Women-2014”.
The state government is keen to address issues on declining child sex ratio.

Looking into census figure over the years, it is found that the trend of child sex ratio and general sex ratio has been declining consistently after 1991 census.

Even though Odisha sex ratio is comparatively better than national average, the trend is clearly indicating fall down situation.

Here, the major concern is on child sex ratio.


District level data shows that “, Dhenakanal, Anugul, Ganjam and Nayagarh have the lowest child sex ratio (855, 877, 889 and 908)”5 respectively in the state.

Addressing to change social attitude, the government of Odisha has planned out to create conducive environment for girls as well as women to promote “equal opportunities, eliminate discrimination and ensure empowerment”.
This scheme was being planned to implement three lowest child sex ratio recorded district such as Dhenkanal, Anugul and Ganjam.

Meanwhile; Nayagarh district is coming under Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao scheme which is supported by central government.
The core objective of this scheme is  To prohibit gender biased selection To ensure survival, health and nutrition security of girl child To take initiatives to encourage girls to express their views and to be heard, to participate actively, effectively and equally.
The scheme is intensively focusing on improving sex ratio at birth and child sex ratio in the targeted districts, reduction of gender gap discrimination, address effectively nutritional status, strict implementation of ultrasound clinic set up   279 guidelines, creating understanding on adoloscent girl’s sexual health and reproductive issues.
Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana Addressing to vulnerable sections of children who have suffered by “HIV (infected / affected), without biological or adoptive parents or legal guardians are found to be most vulnerable groups.

Followed by, the state government announced a programme Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana with the objective of assuring protection and development by assistance of such children.
The target children will be addressed by providing assistance such as educational support, scholarship for meritorious students, financial assistance for Sukanya Samrudhi account and marriage assistance.

The detail benefits available under the scheme are as follows.
Assistance type Age Eligibility Purpose Amount (INR) For technical education As per course Admission and7000 to 40000 study material Passed out Career Care Institute (CCI) children Scholarship Upto 18 years Children living Encourage merit-20000 each in CCI orious students Sukanya Samrudhi 5 to 18 Yojana years child CCI children Secure future 1000 per year living of girl child Marriage Under target Marriage ceremony group Completing the age of 18 and 21 years (Girls and Boys) 50000 (Girls), 40000 (Boys) Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana Biju Swasthya Kalyana Yojana was announced by Odisha Government on 12th June 2018 and successfully implemented 280 on 15th August 2018 which is almost similar to Ayushman Bharat Yojana Scheme launched by Government of India.
Prior to this, there was also another similar health insurance scheme known as Biju Krushak Kalyana Yojana was targeting to the farmers only.

But, this new scheme is being planned to provide cashless health insurance services to 3.5 crore people of the state where 70 lakhs beneficiary will get benefit.

The key features of the scheme has enlightened to access health care services for leading dignified life.
Key Features A) B) C) D) Advanced and Financed by State Government: This scheme is fully developed by the government of Odisha for the people of the state.

All financial expenses will be taken care by the state government.

Universal Health Coverage: The state government is taking responsibility to provide all financial assistance to the patients even if required for treatment under any sub health care institute.

Drop Back Assistance: A Special scheme has been announced for feeble babies expecting women.
Here, all pregnant women and alien babies will be given 500 rupees if they go to any public health care institute.

This money can be utilised for any commutation source to get back to the home after treatment and post delivery.

Financial Aid: For ensuring better health care in the state, everyone would receive health care facilities and treatment.
Each family in the state of Odisha would receive upto 5 lakhs health insurance from the government but for female it is upto 7 lakhs helath insurance assistance.

There are 255 types of operative procedures will be included.

281 Eligibility Criteria It is mandatory to produce residential certificates, Aadhar Card.

In addition the Income certificate (an annual income below Rs.

50,000/- in rural area and Rs.


60,000/- in urban area) from the appropriate authority is also another criteria to get such facilities.

The applicants need to submit the documents that highlight that these individuals are not earning any regular salary from any organisation.
Wider Perspectives Odisha government recently announced its aspirational health scheme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) in order to provide financial assurance up to ‘5 lakh per household to around 70 lakh households for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

Odisha purposes to form a Trust to implement the scheme, which will reimburse the hospitalisation cost and will not pay premiums to insurance companies.
To that extent, Odisha may save some resources as the difference between the claims settled and premium paid goes to the insurance firms.

The other advantage is that the Trust will incur less administrative expenditure compared to TPAs.

Though the Trust model saves money, the major constraints are weak in-house capacity, poor governance structure and susceptibility to outside interference.
For effective implementation of the scheme, the state needs to design the Trust structure by hiring experts to suggest packages, costs and criteria for empanelment of private hospitals.

Another uphill task for the Trust is to improve the governance structure.

Riddled with weak IT system and poor administration, the uptake of the ongoing health insurance programmes is far from satisfactory.

There are large inter- district variations in the RSBY utilisation and the uptake is low for BKKY.
Moreover, the Odisha State Treatment Fund has several procedural challenges, which, increases the predicament of patients.

The same issues will have a major 282 bearing on the BSKY implementation, unless the Trust carefully introduces measures to lessen these problems.

One of the strategies that can ease the administrative bottlenecks is to develop a well enabled digital platform.

Currently, Odisha spends around 4.5% GDP on healthcare, of which only 1.05% is by the government.
Out of pocket (OOP) expenditure constitutes 76% of total health expenditure, which is unexpectedly high.

On the contrary, the utilisation from the public healthcare facilities is quite high, the proportion being 72.55% for outpatient visits.

Furthermore, a significant proportion of OOP is due to outpatient care, mainly due to drugs and diagnostics services (58% and 12%, respectively).
Dubbed as a step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), BSKY may provide breathing space to millions of households burdened by costly health care.

However, a large part of OOP, which occurs due to outpatient visits (71%), will not be alleviated by any insurance mechanism, as it is meant only for hospitalisation.

Another major strand of BSKY which can lessen the OOP is to provide free primary and secondary care to all.

This is a step towards achieving UHC.


However, the health system constraints need to be alleviated urgently.

Stepping up investment, especially building primary care, is an option Odisha should pursue aggressively.

A comprehensive primary care will substantially reduce the cost at the secondary and tertiary care leading to positive externality and efficiency in resource spending.
Strategic purchasing, which, for instance, is used in the UK’s NHS and other countries should be explored further to guide decisions for improving health system performance.
Other specific steps to improve the debilitating public health system could be the optimal use of existing resources through improved governance, deploying additional human resources and strengthening crucial schemes; NIRAMAY and NIDAN6 283 CONCLUSION Although several schemes had been implemented by the central and state government; however awareness and allied services as concerned were not up to the mark.
There were many gaps identified which need to be taken into consideration on priority both at policy and implementation level.

When it comes to growth and development, there appears very little gender disparity.

Relative absence of nutrition on gender does suggest society’s aversion to overt discrimination in these basic entitlements.
As such advocating for total coverage under vaccination and elimination of mode and severe malnutrition, is likely to ensure that gender gaps do not operate on these two areas.

The number of specific initiatives can be endless.

What we need to realise is that many of these have to be processed parallel rather than getting into the debate of which comes first.
Second, there is a need to accept and support partial improvements of every small step or intervention rather than rejecting it for what it may not achieve.

Finally, the gender discrimination issue cannot be separated from other discrimination.

It is necessary therefore to identify the most sidelined within the gender domain and advocate strongly for improving their lot.

Just as different inequalities multiply the misery of the affected, reducing these together also gives multiple benefits.
The above analysis indicates both challenges as well as opportunities present in Odisha.

It is a society where overt or de jure discrimination based on gender is not strong at all.

It’s certain realms where it was strong, affirmative action like reservation in jobs or in representation at certain political level has been taken.

However, the same cannot be said of the de-facto gender biases.
These are covered in certain areas, visible in some others, entrenched in some and emerging strongly in yet others.

The impact of different welfare schemes has been quite positive.

Gender gaps in social welfare activities have been low.

But more efforts are required in the field of 284 education to accelerate the coverage and minimise gender gaps.

This is an issue of concern for policy, programme implementation as well as social activism.
Overall following suggestive measures may be taken into consideration for further development of women and child health programmes.

        Mandatory online registration and tracking system of the beneficiaries during hospitalization.

For assessing departmental non financial objectives through systematic and regular monitoring, the concerned department should incorporate provision of grievance redressal through social audit and public hearing in the respective fields.
Under the supervision of District Magistrate (DM) / District Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) regular quarterly review could ensure more transparency, accountability and quick service delivery.

Gaon Kalyan Samiti and Jaanch Committee members should be present during Village Health and Nutrition Day.

They have to facilitate accessing hassle free health care services.

Government should bring more clarity on stillbirth and its correlation with payment under Mamata scheme.
Anganwadi Worker (AWW) should intimate the status of migrant families to the supervisor / Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) and integrate them to get all health care benefits including MAMATA.

Clear cut instructions from the state and district administration to the banks for opening up bank account.

The essential documents those are demanded must be flexible under certain circumstance and in few specific tribal communities.
More empirical research on impact assessment of health care services at least once in a year needs to be conducted on regular basis.

Based on the findings of the study both state and district administration should come forward for strict implementation.

285    Development of action taken guidelines against private hospitals in case of creating problem for the beneficiaries during hospitalization or denial of providing services under Biju Swasthya Kalyana Yojana.
There should be Interdepartmental coordination between Health & Family Welfare and Women & Child Development to ensure the functioning of the schemes.

Besides targeting pregnant and lactating mothers in nutritional schemes adoloscent girls and potential mothers (Married women who are not pregnant) should also be included.

Reference : 1 2 4 5 6 Census 2011, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
NFHS-III, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India Census-2011, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Census 2011, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2018/aug/ 12/is-biju-swasthya-kalyan-yojana-a-sound-public-policy-in-odisha- 1856537.html  286 IMPROVING NUTRITION FOR WOMEN IN ODISHA Sourav Bhattacharjee Sonali Sinha 1.

Introduction 1.1.
Introduction 1.1.

The Context: Adolescent and Adult women in Odisha Adolescent and women’s nutrition is critical to for the health and wellbeing for current and future generations, but manifestations of malnutrition are difficult to detect and thus often ignored.

Adolescent and women’s nutrition has come into the limelight with introduction of programmes and schemes like ICDS, Mamata (PMMVY), Mid-day meal scheme, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, National Iron Plus Initiative, Khushi, and Swabhimaan.
The importance of nutrition throughout the life cycle has regained further impetus with it being taken forward in a mission mode through ‘Poshan Abhiyaan’ and the recently launched ‘Anemia Mukta Bharat’.

To ensure effective service delivery across the spectrum of services, we propose to implement convergent planning, service delivery, monitoring and review together with a coordinated leadership of stakeholders.
Poor maternal nutrition has been shown to be one of the major causal determinants of Intra Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR) in both developed and developing countries.

Having low haemoglobin levels during 287 pregnancy is associated with complications such as post- partum haemorrhage, neural tube defects (associated with anemia but caused by folate deficiency) low birth weight, premature births and still births, further leading to maternal mortality.
It is an acknowledged medical truth that adequate nutritional status including healthy body weight, micronutrient replete status before, during pregnancy and lactation has greater potential for long- term health benefits for both mother and the child.

It also decreases vulnerability to infectious diseases and the negative cycle of disease and under-nutrition.
The latest Lancet series on Preconception Health & Nutrition (published April 17, 2018) reinforces the importance of the interventions during the preconception period.

It states that micronutrient supplementation started in pregnancy can correct important maternal nutrient deficiencies, but it is not sufficient to improve child health; dietary interventions in pregnancy can limit weight gain in overweight women, but they are also insufficient in improving pregnancy outcomes.
The preconception period presents a period of special opportunity for intervention; the rationale is based on life course epidemiology, developmental (embryo) programming around the time of conception, maternal motivation, and with interventions starting in pregnancy.

The weight of the infant at birth is a powerful predictor of infant growth and survival and is dependent on maternal health and nutrition before and during pregnancy.
For example, low BMI status of mother before and during pregnancy has an impact on her child’s growth which imposes a higher risk for the child to develop stunting till the age of two years.

Thus, it is important to assess the nutritional status of a woman because assessment of a malnourished woman 288 plays a pivotal role in deciding the interventions (nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive) to be offered.
Such interventions include food supplementation, nutrition education and micronutrient supplementation to prevent deterioration in nutritional status and decrease the disease burden, proving beneficial to produce positive maternal and child health benefits.

Figure 1: Anemia among women of reproductive age in Odisha in 2016 (NFHS 4) by district Maternal malnutrition is composed of three factors including under nutrition, over nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
The causative factors of malnutrition in women is not only limited to access to adequate and diversified food but is also influenced by factors such as early marriage, early pregnancy, health status (including diseased conditions), physical activity, education, socio-cultural beliefs, economic status, empowerment and decision-making power.

These factors directly or indirectly have an impact on the nutrition situation of women.
In India, 22.9% women aged 15-49 years are undernourished have BMI<18.5kg/m2 and about 20.7% women are over nourished having BMI e”25kg/m2 and 53% women in 289 the country are anemic (NFHS-4, 2015-16).

The figures for Odisha during the same period are also not as overwhelming with 26.4 % women having BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 and 47.6 % anemic.
However, there are huge inter district variations in anemia levels with Malkangiri, Navrangpur at around 71%, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Koraput at around 68% and in Rayagada and Gajapati the figures are more than 55%.

Similarly, Malkangiri has the highest percentage of women with BMI<18.5 at 45.9% (NFHS-4).3 The graphs in Figure 1 & 2 clearly depicts the district wise scenario of anemia prevalence and BMI <18.5 in women 15-49 years respectively.
Figure 2: BMI<18.5 in women 15-49 yrs (NFHS 4) Odisha also faces the challenge of early marriage; nearly 21% of the girls get married before 18 years of age leading to early and frequent pregnancies and thereby taking forward the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.

Odisha’s poor female literacy remains a basic cause of various manifestations of deprivations, including undernutrition of children.

Only 64% of Odisha’s adult female are literate, with scheduled tribes’ female literacy much lower.
It depresses the status of women and girls, and the ability to make informed decisions on nutrition for their children and themselves.

The sustainable development goal 3 also talks about good health and well-being.

One of the targets of SDG goal 3 mentions, “By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births” which is a guiding factor in implementing policies to address maternal mortality.
290 Governments both at the national and States are committed to bring down the levels of maternal and child mortality through various strategies.

A number of policies have also been made to address these issues, but implementation remains weak.

2. Review of definitions and assessment of malnutrition in Adolescent and Adult women: 2.1.

Manifestations of malnutrition in Adolescent and Adult women: 1.

Maternal stunting: Stunted adult women have a height less than 145 cms.
Such adult women are at risk for complications during delivery and delivering babies with Low Birth Weight (LBW) either due to Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR) or prematurity.

2.

Maternal Wasting: Pregnant and lactating women who are wasted have abnormally or pathologically thin for their height.

As women often gain weight during pregnancy, this is not always the preferred measure for assessment.
Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) is increasingly recognized as a field-friendly tool to identify wasting among pregnant women as well as risk of IUGR without prior knowledge of gestational age.

A conservative cut-off of <23 cm is recommended to include most pregnant women at risk of Low Birth Weight for their infants in the African and Asian contexts (source).

3.

Poor weight gain in pregnancy: During a normal first trimester there is little or no increase in weight (0.7 to 1.4 kgs).
Thereafter, a steady gain of 0.35-0.40 kgs /week is desirable.

By full term of pregnancy, the gain in weight for a healthy woman with healthy body weight is about 12 to 13 kgs.

Less than one kilogram weight gain per month after first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of having a LBW baby.

4.

Low body mass index: Adolescents and women in 291 reproductive age with body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2 are considered at-risk.

BMI however is not a good indicator to measure at-risk in pregnancy.

5.
5.

Micronutrient deficiencies: The need for various micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) increases during adolescence, pregnancy, lactation and reproductive period.

Deficiencies can lead to adverse outcomes both for the woman and child.

Key micronutrient deficiencies seen in women are: i. ii.

iii.

Nutritional anemia: Anemia is defined as haemoglobin concentration below <11 g/dl in pregnancy and <12g/dl for non-pregnant women.
If haemoglobin assessment is not possible, clinical signs such as breathlessness, pallor of tongue, nail and eyes, can be used as proxy to assess anemia.

However, these should not replace haemoglobin assessment.

Anemia is associated with postpartum haemorrhage, neural tube defects, low birth weight, premature births and still births and a cause of 23% of maternal deaths.

Other important causes of anemia include malaria and intestinal helminths and other infections in some situations.
Iodine deficiency: Iodine deficiency in pregnancy owing to non-consumption of adequately iodized salt can lead to cretinism and mental retardation in the newborn child.

Low maternal iodine status is associated with an increased risk of suboptimum scores for verbal IQ at age 8 years, and reading accuracy, comprehension, and reading score at age 9 years.

Vitamin A deficiency: Deficiency of vitamin A results in delayed adaptation to the dark and when, sufficiently severe, leads to night blindness.
Vitamin A deficiency also weakens the immune 292 iv.

v. vi.

system and puts an individual at higher risk of severe infection.

Folate deficiency: Folate deficiency in the 28 days prior to and post conception has been shown to play a significant role in development of neural tube defects in foetus and increases risk of developing megaloblastic anaemia.

Zinc deficiency: Zinc is vital for many biological functions and plays a crucial role in more than 300 enzymes and hence, vital for growth and immunity.
Hence, deficiency of zinc can lead to congenital abnormalities and pre-term delivery.

Calcium deficiency: calcium deficiency in pregnant women increases the risk of pre-eclampsia, abnormal fetal development, maternal death and low birth weight.

2.2.

Assessment of malnutrition in Adolescent and Adult women: The common ways of assessing malnutrition and its related ailments in the adult i.e.

mothers are:     3.


Anthropometry (Weight and Height), Mid Upper Arm Circumference (M.U.A.C), Skin fold thickness Biochemical Test (Hemoglobin status, Fasting blood glucose, Urine test) Clinical signs and symptoms (Pallor, Goitre, Bitot’s spot) Dietary Intake (Food frequency Questionnaire) Programming to improve nutrition in Adolescent and Adult women 3.1.
Essential Interventions for Improving Women’s nutrition There is global and national consensus on the five 293 essential nutrition interventions to focus on for women – before, during and after pregnancy, which can improve nutrition of women.
These interventions have been categorized under five broad interventions, which include (6) (7) (8) (9) Improve household food security (food quantity and quality) Prevent and manage anemia and micronutrient deficiencies Increase women’s access to health services and special care for ‘most vulnerable’ Increase women’s access to water and sanitation education and commodities (10) Prevent early, too many and too frequent pregnancies.
Service delivery mechanisms to deliver the above- mentioned interventions exist although not through one programme or one department, meaning that an integrated approach is needed.

Current programming for adolescent girls and women by the Women and Child Development (W&CD) Department include the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) and the Supplementary Nutrition Programme for pregnant and lactating women under ICDS.
The SAG has been limited to the 11-14 years out of school category girls only, leaving aside the most vulnerable age group of 14-19 years.

For the pregnant & lactating women, Take Home Rations (THR) are provided but at present there is no mechanism to track the nutritionally ‘at risk’ women and provide them with additional ration.
Critical interventions are imperative to address three of the major objectives of the recently launched POSHAN Abhiyaan: • • Reduce low birth weight (LBW) by 2% per annum, Reduce stunting in children (0-6 years) by 2% per 294 annum and • Reduce the prevalence of anemia amongst women and adolescent girls by 3% per annum 3.2.

The existing interventions on women’s nutrition (both specific and sensitive) in Odisha: 295 296 4.
Plan of Action to strengthen women’s nutrition interventions in Odisha From the above-mentioned table, it is evident that there exist a number of platforms which are already into nutrition related interventions.

However, a more holistic and integrated approach is necessary to achieve the desired objectives.

The WCD Department needs to leverage from the schemes being implemented by the other line departments and ensure that the women are 297 able to obtain maximum benefits from each of the services.
The Odisha Nutrition Action Plan (ONAP) has also specified the importance of women nutrition and has stressed on strengthening of the various ongoing schemes through a convergent action plan.

Strengthening of the following actions are proposed on improving the situation of women’s nutrition in the State: A. Adolescent Girls: i.
         Strengthen SAG programme- Availability of Take Home Ration (THR) and ensure its consumption by the girls Counselling on dietary diversity and IFA consumption through Weekly Iron & Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) Biannual deworming and health checkup in convergence with health department, particularly for assessment of nutritional status (Hb levels, BMI) Counselling on personal and menstrual hygiene practices Leverage for supply of sanitary napkins (school going girls are getting from government supplies under the ‘Khushi’ scheme) Emphasis on mainstreaming of out of school girls to formal/ non- formal education system Life Skills Education Converge with ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Scheme for addressing the issue of early marriage Orientation on developing kitchen gardens for continuous supply of nutrient rich vegetables at home round the year 298 ii.
      iii.
       Strengthen National Iron Plus Initiative: Strengthen the supply chain management of Iron Folic tablets till AWC level Monitoring of IFA administration and consumption Availability and use of IFA consumption compliance cards Mobilize and motivate the girls to attend Saturday sessions Analyses of the monthly progress reports Leveraging through Anemia Mukta Bharat Convergence: With S&ME Department for mainstreaming of out of school girls With H& FW Department for IFA supplementation, Annual Health Day, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) and services under RMNCH+A With Skill Development Mission and OLM for linking the 15-19 years’ girls with appropriate employable vocational skills With OLM for leveraging the services of the huge community cadre for community mobilization With corporates (in industrial belts) for supply of sanitary napkins at subsidized rates for out of school girls from District Mineral Fund (DMF) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds With Panchayati Raj & Rural Development Department for safe drinking water and toilets respectively Inter Personal Communication (IPC) & Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) activities 299 B.
Pregnant & Lactating Women:         Early registration of pregnant women THR consumption and counselling on dietary diversity Identification and screening of nutritionally ‘at risk’ women (by using maternal Mid Upper Arm Circumference(MUAC) measurement) and counselling for appropriate food & nutrient intake through recipe demonstration at AWC level IFA & calcium supplementation as per protocols with deworming during pregnancy Ensuring consumption of iodized salt Weight monitoring during the pregnancy period and linkages with the Sampurna strategy Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINS) for pregnant women at malaria endemic areas Counselling on spacing & family planning to lactating mothers C. Social and Behaviour Change Communication      Strengthening community based institutions (VHSND, Gaon Kalyan Samiti(GKS), Self Help Groups and Adolescent Groups)– counselling and community dialoguing Inter Personal Care (IPC) during Home Visits Capacity Building of frontline workers, informal service providers and civil society Supportive Supervision and Social Accountability through Panchayats Community Mobilisation by bringing all stakeholders on one platform 300 5.
Key asks from Panchayati Raj department:         Strengthen the food, nutrition, health and WASH (FNHW) components of the Dus Sutra strategy through intensive awareness and sensitization campaigns, training of cadres and strong convergence with the line departments Leverage from the Anemia Mukt Bharat campaign and establish linkage with health & WCD departments to tackle the menace of anemia across life cycle Support the introduction of maternal MUAC for identification of nutritional status during pregnancy Ensure nutrition and IFA supplementation for adolescent girls and women through the women collectives Ensure special counselling sessions for newly-wed women (nutrition, spacing, planning for a family) through the community cadres Facilitate promotion of kitchen gardens, backyard poultry and fish farming through OLM for nutrition, women empowerment and livelihood generation Give special focus on malnutrition endemic tribal pockets for last mile delivery of services Supportive Supervision and Community Mobilisation through panchayats 6.
The way forward With the buzz around nutrition been created, it is the opportune time for Odisha to set targets and accelerate its motion in improving the status of adolescent and women nutrition in the State.

Odisha already has several existing policies and programmes, both nutrition-specific 301 and nutrition-sensitive to address several known drivers of adolescent development and other dimensions of nutrition in women.
There is a need for focused efforts to bridge the implementation gaps and build up evidence, establishing feedback mechanisms to inform policy and programmatic decisions.

An all-out effort is now needed to improve the functioning of nutrition-specific interventions as well as a focus on addressing underlying social factors by reducing income inequality, improving the health and social status of women, scaling-up water and sanitation services, and addressing food insecurity.
Involving the robust women collectives and community cadres through concerted efforts can play an extremely effective role in addressing the key issues and taking ahead the core agenda of improving women’s health and nutrition.

It would be a quantum leap in breaking the inter- generational cycle of malnutrition in the State.

References: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Bhutta, Z.A., et al.


and the Maternal and Child Nutrition Study Group, 'Evidence-based interventions for improvement of maternal and child nutrition: what can be done and at what cost?'

Lancet, vol.

382, 2013, pp.

452-477.

World Health Organization, Essential Nutrition Actions: Improving Maternal, Newborn, Infant and Young Child Health and Nutrition, 2013.
Victora, C.G., et al., 'Worldwide timing of growth faltering: revisiting implications for interventions', Paediatrics, vol.125, 2010, pp.

e473- e480.

Gillespie, S.R., 'Improving Adolescent and Maternal Nutrition: An Overview of Benefits and Options', Working Paper No.

97-002, UNICEF, New York, 1997.


The Lancet series on Preconception Health & Nutrition,published April 17, 2018. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International, National Family 302 Health Survey (NFHS-4), 20015-20016, India: Adult Nutrition, IIPS, Mumbai.

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 2005-2006, Odisha fact sheet, IIPS, Mumbai.
Guidelines on Scheme for Adolescent Girls, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India, 2018.

Administrative Guidelines for implementation of National Nutrition Mission (26 February, 2018).

7.

8.

9.

10.

Sustainable Development Goals Nations,sustainabledevelopment.un.org.
(SDGs) - United  303 ROLE OF QUALITY PRIMARY EDUCATION FOR GIRLS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; A BIRD-EYE VIEW OF ODISHA Parikshit Sahu Introduction “Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights.

It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits.
Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty”1.Out of different branches of social sector, primary education, as the principal component it has to play the pivotal role in achieving the Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) and sound economic growth of the society.

Education is a vibrant mechanism in developing human ability that provides the instruments for emancipation from ignorance and subjugation.
It is both the origin and outcomes of development.

Imparting quality education of education is now an issue of global concern.

Mobilizing resources towards girl’s education has the potential to produce the highest returns for economic development and that gender disparities in education have an adverse impact not just on girls, but on their entire families and societies.
In light of the above, at the World Education Forum, Dakar 20002 nations around the world agreed on two goals relating to prioritizing girls education.
The first goal is to 304 ensure that all children; particularly girls have access to and complete free and compulsory education of good quality by 2015 and the second goal is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005 and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to, achievement, in basic education.
The main indicator of the quality of elementary education can be analyzed in terms of its products – the learners’ outcomes both in scholastic and co-scholastic areas.

The factors correlated with the success are aligned with the conditions of learning and learning environment that are occasionally considered as indicators of quality of primary education.
Understanding Quality in Education A reliable measure of quality of education is whether pupils are learning effectively, improving their knowledge, skills and abilities; widening their experience and growing socially and morally or not.

Since the inception of the educational system we are discussing the concept of quality education,but there is no mutual consent among the educational researchers regarding the meaning of the quality in education but there are many methods to measure it.
In the perspective of school effectiveness, the notion of quality is coupled with the effectiveness of teaching-learning processes.

Some educationists are of the opinion to shift the concept from “Education For All” to “Quality Education For All”.

To them no-detention policy at primary level in several countries does not extirpate the dropout rate.

Moreover, they stressed on the budge of academic learning to value based learning as an emerging dimension of education.
It has well proved that “failure of education in the 20th century was not failure to teach science but failure to teach human values”.

305 Octagon of Quality Education A school that enables all children to attend regularly, learn effectively and graduate successfully that must required at least eight components that technically called as octagon of quality education.

These are as follows:- 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.


Competent and Motivated teachers, Active learning methods, accompanied by appropriate learning/teaching aids, Active participation of children and parents in school governance, Safe, sound and effective learning environment, Relevant curriculum i.e appropriate and relevant to local needs.

Student’s preparedness- Health status, high learning time, parents’ support, reasonable level of holistic development.
Empowered and supportive school leadership and Acceptable level of Government budget allocation/strong supervisory support.

Right to Education (RTE) and Provisions for Girls At different levels, there are some barriers on the path of girl education which have some significant impact for their educational and social development.

They are as follows; At household/community level there are some barriers for the girl children to be educated.
In this context, it is the moral responsibility of every parent/guardian to inculcate the value of girl’s education and the effect of sending their children to school.

306 Both physical and social factors are affecting girls’ children to participate in schooling process.

Therefore, the barrier free access is necessary to ensure this.
At system level, RTE mandates the appropriate government and local authorities to provide for children access to elementary schools within the denied area or limits of neighborhood.

At policy level also every child aged 6 to 14 shall have a right to provision of free Compulsory, equitable quality education.

It has been observed that the enrolment of girls in primary education system have been increased due to the government interventions and incentives through different flagship programmes on education.
Women’s Education in India Previously about 300 BC, there was virtually no education for women in India.

Only women from higher strata were given some education at home.

However, there was serious social resistance.

Education to women was considered as a disgrace.

The idea and benefits in providing education to girl children never entered into the minds of parents.
According to the report of the National Committee on Women’s Education (1959)2, It cannot be denied that the general picture of the education of women was the most unsatisfactory and women received practically no formal instruction whatever, except for the little domestic instruction that was available to the daughter of the upper class families.

Previously, it was believed that women should aspire to become good wives and mothers, not intellectuals, doctors, lawyers etc.
Women used to perform merely the domestic activities.

They had been prohibited to speak in public.

The main hindrance in the women education in India is rural residence, low caste, low economic standing combined with the traditional attitude towards women education as a whole.

Due to these obstacles, educating the girls became 307 unreachable.

Scenario of Girls Education in India India is a democratic country.

The main tenets of democracy are equality, liberty fraternity and justice.
In a democratic system, all men are born equal and are entitled to enjoy equal rights without any discrimination.

In this backdrop, the wellbeing of girls needs special attention.

Any inequity between the education of boys and girls should not be tolerable.

The tribulations of non- association and non-retention of girls at all levels of education is clearly visible and its proportion is higher at the primary level.
Girl’s education in our country has been experiencing multiple area specific issues that need special attention.

The principal problem is the problem of wastage and stagnation.

There are numerous grounds accountable for wastage in education at primary level; particularly in case of girls.

Attempts have been made to provide primary education to all children in our country within the age brackets of 6 to 14 years with reference to girl’s education.
Governments at all levels have been trying a lot to reach at the goal of UEE.

The problem is so acute that in spite of our several attempts we have not yet been able to achieve it.

The causes of the problems for the same may be educational, social and economic.

The educational causes may be analyzed under the heads of poor infrastructure facilities, poor quality of teaching, defective nature of curricula and language difficulties etc.
Similarly, social problems are illiteracy of parents, disinterest in education of Girls, caste feeling and communal differences and lack of school community relationship.

Trend of development of Primary Education for Women in Odisha  Since long back, there was no system of any kind for the 308       education of women except domestic education.
In the absence of government endeavour, the missionaries had made attempts after 1822, to recognize the requirement of education for women against all adverse factors.

By 1882, the number of girls studying in mixed schools was 1623.

However, the then government encouraged for the expansion of girls’ education in mixed schools.

Even, girl students were not allowing to award scholarships for their proficiency in mixed schools.
Nevertheless, the condition of girls’ education in South Odisha was not satisfactory.

A beginning was made in 1875 with two Municipal girls’ school one for the Muslim and another for the Hindus at Berhampur of Ganjam district.

A few private bodies in Sou th Odisha were taking interest in girls’ education.

In Odisha, the change came in after Hunter Commission Report, 1882 in which the encouragement for the expansion of girls’ education came from Local and Municipal Board from different districts.
In an Educational Conference held at Shimla In 1901, it was decided to set up more government schools for women, which were to be the model schools for other private agencies.

To fulfill the necessity of the trained women teachers’ three training schools were opened one at Cuttack and other two in Balasore, which were started by the Christian Missionaries during the year 1902-07.
By the year 1905, the total number of girls’ primary schools was 259 with an enrolment of 6894 girls, but 9009 girls were studying in boy’s primary schools.

Really, most of the parents were very traditional and apathetic 309        to caters the same care and interest to educate their female children than that of boys.

The Educational Policy of government of India in 1904 gave an incentive for the expansion of girls’ education.
By 1905, there were 4 aided M. E. Schools only for girls under the management of American Baptist Mission after the separation of Bihar and Odisha from Bengal.

In 1912, no such eye-catching improvement was visible in girl’s education.

According to the government of India Resolution-1913, educational policy gave top priority to the educational qualification of the teachers.

Accordingly, steps were taken in Bihar and Odisha for raising the general qualification and stipend of the female teachers.
The then curriculum was not well suited to girls and certain new subjects were introduced from the standpoint of the girls.

Subsequently, some educational administration structure had changed.

In 1929, Hartong Committee recommended for the gradual introduction of’ compulsion for girl’s education, appointment of lady teachers and inspectresses.
In March 1930, Governor of Bihar and Odisha issued a resolution laying stress on the extended educational facilities for co-education for the increase of literacy among girls.

Therefore, the government followed the policy of avoiding the opening of separate girl’s primary schools as far as practicable.

In South Odisha, the girls’ education was in rearward as compared to boys education.
After the separation of Odisha as a province in 1936, regarding the importance and utility of girl’s education 310     was an outstanding feature.

The number of primary schools for girls’ reduced from 421 in 1936-37 to 206 by 1946-47.

Accordingly, the enrolment also decreased.

However, in the mixed- schools the enrolment status was increased from 39993 in 1936 to 55647 by 1946-47.

After independence, the need of girl’s education and the whole outlook of the people were completely changed.
To accelerate the progress of girls’ education different measures were taken keeping in view the needs of independent India and its constitutional provisions for the expansion of girl’s education.

In the year 1947-48, there were only 192 girls primary schools with an enrolment of 9076 and was increased to 219 with 10871 pupils by the year 1950-51.

During that period, girl’s number in the co-educational institutions increased from 63474 to 91273.
The problems and issues of women education were examined by the Central Committees; such as National Committee on Women’s Education, 1958-59 appointed under the Chairmanship of Durgabhai Desmukh, ‘National Counci l of Women Education, 1962, appointed under the Chairmanship of Hansa Mehta and Bhakta Vatsalm Committee in 1962.
As the aim of universalisation of education in the state was solely to bring more girls to schools a number of measures, such as supply of free textbooks and Teaching Learning Materials(TLMs), free supply of school uniform to girls, residential quarters for women teachers etc.

were taken by government.

Besides that Sevasharam and Ashram schools were established for the girls from backward community.
 The NPE-1986, gave the message that education is an agent that could bring about basic changes in the 311 position of women.

Therefore, the state government adopted multi disciplinary approach and made interventions to raise the economic and social status of women and prepare them to stand at par with men.

In order to accelerate the progress of girl’s education the state government have introduced DPEP in the tribal districts where literacy of women is very low.
Area specific Issues; disturbing Girls Education in Odisha Some area specific issues that disturbing girl’s education in Odisha are like ill health of the child, teasing by classmates, rigorous corporal punishment, lack of individual attention on the part of the teacher ,child labor, poor adolescent health, early marriage, immigration, child trafficking, child abuse, refugee, socio-cultural taboo, poor adolescent health, practice of Ghicha marriage (marriage by force) in Munda, Majhi & Gond community, siblings care, family migration(brick bhati),sexual harassment, apathetic attitude towards girls, muslim minority community, Naxalite affected, safety & security of girls, highly prone to disaster like flood, cyclone, lightening etc., trafficking, child labour, beggary, lack of awareness, seasonal absenteeism for mahuli collection, girls engaged in household work, female feticide and the like.
Measures to Promote Women’s Education in India National Committee on Women’s Education suggested some points for the improvement of girls’ education.

(i) Providing school facilities, opening of new schools, bringing schools within the reach of children, starting girls’ section in boys’ schools and condensed course for adult women etc.

(ii) Improving the existing schools infrastructure and schooling process.
312 (iii) Making education free (iv) Educating public opinion (v) Providing other convenience and inducement like adjustment of school timings and vacation to suit local needs and conditions, free mid-day meals, free medical and health facilities for the school children, establishment of crèches etc.
; (vi) Introducing female inspecting officer (vii) Introduction of shift system for boys and girls in the same school building ,where co-education is not acceptable (viii) Appointment of school mothers in mixed schools; (ix) Establishment of nursery and pre-primary schools; Education and Social Change Education can act as an epitome of social change and social development.

Moreover, education can initiate the social transformation by changing the outlook and attitude of man.
The traditional educational institutions and teachers used to show a specific way of life to the students and education was more a means of social control than an instrument of social change.

The educational institutions in modern era do not stress upon the transformation of the way of life to the students.

However, present education system aims at imparting knowledge.

Education can brought about extraordinary changes in every aspect of men’s life.
This process that enables every individual to participate effectively in all the activities of society will contribute positively for the progress of society.

Education and Economic Growth and Development Education is indispensable to economic development.

An appropriate educational system can endorse not only economic 313 development but prompts to enhance productivity, and increase per capital income and the national income of the country as well.
The affiliation of education with economic growth has been the crux of economic analysis.

Both Adam Smith in the 18th century and Alfred Marshall in the 19th century have given the tricks that how individual investments in “education” influence the wealth of nations.

The adjacent cycle can justify the fact properly.

Prior to the nineteenth century, systematic investment in human capital was not considered as much important in any country.
During the 20th century, education, skills, and the technique of acquisition of knowledge have become fundamental factors of individual as well as nation’s productivity.

When the effective investment will be made in educating girls and women in developing country, it will create a multiplier effect for the family including better family health and nutrition, improved birth spacing, lower infant and child mortality, and enhanced educational attainment of children.
The research explained that not a single country has achieved a sustainable economic development without considerable investment in human capital.

Asymmetrical education system has a negative impact on per capita income in most countries.

It is a fact that the investment in human capital will be fruitless, if people cannot use education in competitive and open markets.

The larger competitive in markets will follow the greater prospects for using education and skills.
Recommendations and Implications  It has seen that most of the children leave the school at any stage before their graduation.

So the country as a whole and the states in particular should own sincere belongingness to solve the problems of non-involvement and non- retention of the girl students at primary level to create an educated society.
314         Though girls and women have made much educational gains in recent years, there was a great gap between the education of men and women, but still have a long way to go before their historic educational disad-vantage is eradicated.
Some interrelated policies may be adopted in this line i.e promoting more competition, so that parental demand will create strong incentives to individual schools; autonomy in local decision making, so that individual schools and their leaders will take actions to promote student achievement; and, an accountability system that identifies good school performance and leads to rewards based on this.
Teacher ’s salaries and types of engagement(like contractual),teacher rationalization, area specific micro planning, introduction of mother-tongue based multi- lingual education and so on should be taken care of to improve the quality in primary education.

The reasons of never-been-enrolled and drop-out should also be thoroughly analyzed so as to develop strategies to bring them back to school.

For student’s retention the school environment should be child friendly and hazard free.
School infrastructure should be also conducive for girl students.

Involvement of parents and community is an important aspect of civil society involvement.

The governments at both ends i.e union and state should give priority to the education for girls.

In government of India, a department for women’s education should be created in the ministry of Human Resource Development, For proper management of girl’s education, a Director of Women’s Education may be engaged in each state.
315         In rural as well as tribal areas, education of girls’ may be given more encouragement through different types of incentives to gorls.

Girl students should be provided training facilities on a liberal and priority basis.
More seats in various services (central as well as state level)should be reserved for them Educational outcomes need to be identified and quantified at the beginning of each academic year and need to be shared with the community to assess their expectation from the school.

The school annual academic plan should clearly focus on achievable quality parameters.

Quantified targets are possible only with scientific assessment and evaluation of each student.
The Curriculum and syllabus should be framed in area specific and need based manner to cater the local need of the pupils.

Regular internal assessments and periodical external assessments should be conducted and these results should be communicated to the community for further course of action.

Involvement of parents and community needs to be benchmarked to ensure greater accountability and educational outcomes.

CONCLUSION The progress of women’s education is a matter of concern after independence.
Girls cannot be deprived of education at any cost and greater attention should be paid on problems of training and development of women.

Now -a-days the girl’s from inaccessible areas and weaker section of society are being encouraged to receive education.

Government of India realized 316 that education of girls is the most powerful tool of change of position in society.

Education will reduce inequalities and will act as a means to improve their status within the family.
To encourage the education of women at all levels and to bring more girls, especially from marginalized families for mainstreaming in education, the government at all level is providing innumerable assistances through different plans and programmes to accomplish the main objectives of Education for All (EFA) in India.

1.

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) 2.

3.

The World Education Forum, held in Dakar,Senegal from 26 to 28.
April 2000 The National Council on Women’s Education set up in 1958 under the chairmanship of Smt.

Durgabai Deshmukh recommended certain specific steps to expand and improve the education of women in the country.

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 Web portal; School & Mass Education, Govt.of Odisha.

 Women in Indian Religions (Ed.)

(2002).

Arvind Sharma, Oxford University Press.

 World Bank (1997).

Primary Education in India, Development in Practice Series, World Bank, Washington.
 318 WOMEN ON THE MARGINS AND LIVELIHOOD RIGHTS: THE CASE OF SELF-HELP GROUP FEDERATION Jyoti Tudu Self-help collectives are popularly known as consciousness-raising groups which intend to encourage aggrieved persons to come together to share, discuss and learn about each other’s experiences.

In India, these collectives are introduced as a poverty reform strategy.

Its expansion follows with encouraging poor women to participate in groups.
Women are grouped for mobilising savings and credit activities among themselves.

In U.S. women’s consciousness-raising groups were formed by women themselves.

However in India they were introduced by both non - governmental and government initiatives in 1980s.

The above departure suggests that self- help collectives in India are not product of women’s movement.

Hence they cannot label directly as consciousness-raising groups.
Notwithstanding the above, self-help collectives in India has been expected to develop the trend of togetherness among poor women for getting some kind of self-employment.

They have not formed to demand paid employment form the state.

SHGs were established as a participatory mechanism for marginalised women to avail credit and income opportunities.

Gradually, these SHGs were mobilised to form federations and act as community-based institutions.
In this context direct concern arises about its potentiality in extending sustainable livelihood for poor marginal women.

In this chapter, 319 this concern has been addressed through the critical readings of different scholarly writings and some empirical case studies.

The chapter has three sections.

The first section focuses on the logic of federation, formation and its historical context of shift from group to federation.
The second section has attempted to compile specific literatures and case studies who have tried to address the prospect of federation in providing sustainable livelihood to rural marginal women in other states and Odisha as well.

Finally the chapter ends with the concluding remark.

I Self-Help Groups to Federations: A Historical Analysis In India self-help group as a collective has been debated with regard to its differential nature and evolution from western societies.
As a concept, it is premised on the idea that people who are affected by any form of deprivation, disadvantages and discrimination come together for mutual help to overcome or to find solutions for their common marginalities.

Some scholars have argued that the emergence of self-help groups can be seen as a response to industrialisation, the breakdown of the kinship system and the decline of community (Kartz & Bender, 1976, See also Humm, 1997, Kessler, et.al.

1997).
1997).

Some scholars also viewed its presence as a reflection of an inefficient system of formal care system (Gartner & Riessman, 1977).

Sibel (2000) traces its origin to several hundred years.

He pointed out that the idea of self-help revolves around three things, i.e.

labour, food and money.

Money as a component of self-help group suggest about rotation savings.

This practice has been prevailed from the sixteenth century in countries like West Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
In India mobilization of self-help strategy was initiated as poverty elimination strategy.

In the west it is associated with many specific activities like health, women’s consciousness-raising groups, etc.

Moreover in both the 320 societies, self-help collectives are associated with different kinds of user services and also accepted to be the part of civil society institutions.

It also exists in different forms ranging from small groups to large national organisations (Chaudhary, et.al.

2013, p.60).
2013, p.60).

Despite the differential nature of their shapes, in India it was introduced in small group form.

This was introduced in India not as a commitment of the state to support poor in struggle for their survival.

Rather it was promoted to boost microcredit groups to provide easy credit facilities as women are supposed to be good credit risks, and women-run enterprises benefit their families (Burra, et.al.2005).
A self-help group (SHG) is a locally-based voluntary financial institution usually composed of 10–20 local women to provide mutual support for each other and acts as a saving and credit institution.

This can be formed in both urban and rural spaces.

Notwithstanding the above, SHGs of rural area has got more attention.
It can be defined as, “an institution resulted out of the participatory endeavour of people trying to secure three types of power - social, political and psychological that would empower them and improve their lives.

The group potentiality of SHGs needs to be seen beyond saving and lending activities as this form of collective action exploits social ties in close knit homogeneous groups.
Their formation cannot be simplified into “an ingenious method of financial service delivery” (Vijayakumar, 2009, p.68).

In defining self-help groups some of the scholars have emphasised about its group potentiality.

This potentiality needs to be investigated further when many self-help groups are federating under a common banner.

It can be taken as a significant collective organisational sphere to study marginal women’s citizenship unity.
Historically the conceptualisation 321 of group equality in India has not considered gender as a relevant political category.

Moreover, the recent strategy of women’s inclusion through participation in self-help groups opens up the scope to investigate how her claims are negotiated within the groups and among the groups.
The difference between group and federation is that group refers to an unregistered group consisting of only 15 to 20 members; the latter represents a combination of many self- help groups.

SHG federations are different from other federations like dairy cooperatives, the fisherman societies or the credit unions.

The major difference is in the size of the primary organization.

Most of them are federated at the district, state and national level but SHGs are aligned at the level of block.
Because of the small size and their membership being mostly or exclusively poor, SHGs also have smaller financial resources and more limited human capacity than other typical primary organizations that form federations (Nair, 2005, p.36).

The small size of the SHGs with having limited resources and limited market access make most SHGs dependent on the promoter agencies for several essential services.
In this regard, federating SHGs as a large form of legal, registered organisation emerged as a response to the above issue.

Moreover, formation of SHG federation in India was initiated by promoting agencies like government and non-government organisations.

They were promoted to take over most, or all, of the services for which the SHGs were dependent on the promoter agencies (Nair, 2005; See also Tanka, 2012; Salomo et.al.2012).
The objective of federation building has generally been to scale up the SHG programme and enhance the collective bargaining power of the members with or without a strategy for the withdrawal of the promoting institution.

Moreover, some arguments are also advocating that the role of SHG federation needs to be studied beyond financial intermediation.
Such arguments are insisting about the role of federation to be seen as public good as it mobilised larger number of groups to be conscious about their socio, economic and political rights (Nair, 2005).1 Though it confronted with certain ambivalent implications but it does bring them into public spaces and help them to acquire a greater sense of their 322 own agency and also contributes to their becoming citizens (Harris, 2007, p.2720).
Such argument has been supported with various function and legal forms under which the concerned promoting agencies have formed the self-help group federation.

The function may broadly be categorised in following manner.

Besides the above functions, federations are also registered under different acts like Society Registration Act, 1860 or similar provincial acts, Indian Trust Act 1882, Section 25 of Companies Act 1956, Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies Act enacted by state governments.
Odisha government had also enacted the Odisha Self-Help Cooperatives Act in the year 2001.

In the initial years of 1990s focus has gained on sustainable livelihood which was emerged as an alternate approach to income generation as the only way to poverty eradication.

In many international declarations, appeal has been issued to development stakeholders to focus on 323 sustainable livelihood approach for poverty elimination.
One of the ways such revision in poverty elimination strategy comes through the ‘perspective of below’.2 Such incident motivated different non-government and government organisations to form federations.

In fact the above development came at a time when federation formation process was also emphasised by different NGOs and state governments as well.

It was the NGOs like MYRADA, Chaitanya who have initiated efforts in federation formation.
Subsequently, different state governments and their political leadership took specific interest in initiating the programme.

The SHG Federation consists of three tier structures.

Further, South Asia Poverty Alleviation Project (SAPAP) of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) starts in the year 1994 considered to be the large- scale federation promotion initiative in the country.

It promoted a 3-tier structure – ‘SHG – Village Organisations – Mandal Samakyas’.
The programme was implemented in 20 mandals spread across three districts in Andhra Pradesh.

Moreover, there is variation among government and non - government organisation promoted federations.

In case of government agencies, groups are nested through Gram Panchyats.

But in case of NGOs, it is not essentially routed through the Panchayat.

Further, the block and district continued to be the apex level in federating structure.
At the block-level they are entered as a registered entity, either as a society or trust.

However, there are also cases of unregistered associations.

The federations promoted by MYRADA are unregistered associations of 15-25 SHGs each.

As per the formal legal structure they do not have paid staffs.

Their focus centred on promotion of non-financial activities while retaining the limited range of services including the streamline of SHG bank linkage.
The above logic of federation formation suggest that that as an institution it should revolve around the ideal objective under which the original character of federal principle proliferates, i.e.

independence and autonomy which is 324 inescapable from political implications.

In this context, an attempt by different organizations to form federation can be resulted into the creation of an interest group (Nair, 2005, p.6).
However, to what extent such articulation of interest group retains their unity and autonomy in actual practice.

Such query needs an independent observation about the way federations are voluntarily initiating the action toward sustenance of its structure and activities as well.

Here women members will play crucial role to determine the benefit and obligation arrangements of the collective.
In order to make the above arrangements, it is also expected that the facilitating organisations are required to initiate and provide knowledge support to the groups on how to federate as majority of rural marginal women members lacks formal education and legal education as well.

II Do federation really provides support to sustainable livelihood?

In the previous section it was discussed how formation of federation intends to provide a sustainable credit support to its member SHGs initially.
Subsequently, the focus on livelihood programme leads to expand the role of federation to promote livelihood security and market access to these groups of SHG.

In this context, some of the relevant literatures are gaining our attention.

They are grouped into two categories.

The first group of literature offers their suspicion about the role of promoting agencies over the federation and their livelihood activities.
The other group of literature suggest that irrespective of promoting agencies women’s sense of community and bonding with each other matters in sustenance of their federation and livelihood sustainability.

Let’s have discussion on both strands of literature.

The former group of literature suggest that there is no dispute about the role of SHG federation in enhancing marginal 325 women’s participation in different activities.
It also provides opportunity to women to be associated with non-traditional tasks like marketing and enterprising activities.

However suspicion prevails over their sustainability, mobilisation of unity remain vacuum in negotiating differences among women over issues of social and material inequality vis-à-vis market, state, family and community (Galab and Chandrasekhara, 2003).

Some scholars are sceptical about SHGs as it imbued with market philosophy and hardly can deliver human development.
In this regard specific forms of mobilisation of rural poor through Self Help Groups are purported for efficient utilization of credit management and not representing the struggle dimension (Batliwala: 2007, 2013; Mohanty, 1995, 2006).

Some scholars are critical about the intervening role of both government and non- governmental organisations.

Since last two decades, women SHG federations have been proliferating in rural landscape.
In making them visible, indeed, the role of self-help promoting institutions cannot be ignored.

Initially group formed, though evolved to be a part of self-help bank linkage programme but unpredictability of recovery becomes a major constraint in accessing the linkage.

One needs to be cautious about in making distinction between the interests of promoting agencies in relation to the autonomy of the group members.
However, there has been a longstanding dispute over who holds the legitimacy to mobilise these collectives (Thomas, et.al., 2010).

Since long state has always been a major provider for women may be in the form of recognising claims through welfare or legal provisions.

In the welfare paradigm, they dominantly treated as the passive beneficiary of rights.

But the neoliberal agenda of poverty eradication experiment required them to be an active citizen.
In this regard, NGOs are taking the authority to enable poor women to tackle the development challenges.

As promoting agency their impression continues to be in better position than government.

They are popularised for their specific focus 326 towards livelihood and empowerment agendas.

However, in recent years they have been constrained with the pressures like donor agencies agenda and also required to operate according to the legal frameworks under which they are registered (Jalali, 2008).
This puts a challenge to adopt a balancing approach in creating community owned and managed financial institutions built upon the SHG concept.

These pressures have brought about a period of transition as NGOs struggle to discover the appropriate institutional structure, both for themselves and the community institutions promoted by them, given the conditions attached to various sources of funds and local and national legal and regulatory provisions.
Such pressures indeed inform about the problematic relation between credit efficiency and expansion of rights.

On the other hand, the constraints remain with state promoted federation is co-option.

It can be seen as a site to mobilise voting in favour of a particular leadership or political regime and dependency (Manor, 2006; Tankha, 2012).

Another group of scholars claims to facilitate the negotiating potentiality of women to demand their livelihood rights.
Along with the focus on credit management, SHGs are also mobilized for different kinds of livelihood activities.

In this regard mere focus on credit may ignore the attention for livelihood insecurity.

It doesn’t matter whether this is promoted by any government or non- governmental organization.
Even some of the writings are also showing the connection between the role of grass root NGOs in supporting marginal women’s activism at the community level (Brun & Lund, 2010; Jenkins, 2008).3 For some women access to their community livelihood is more significant than just credit management.

In fact the biggest challenge has emerged with the expansion of neoliberal capital as they encounter competition to access their resources and in marketing their product as well.
There is also some literature which has expressed that marginal dalit and tribal women have formed the self-help groups and expressed their 327 unity to secure their traditional livelihood rights.

In this process, they became suspicious about supply driven credit activities as it won’t address how to secure their traditional livelihood rights.
Such observations are found to be true in case of women who are surviving on minor forest produce, kendu leaf workers, fish workers and also many other workers who are depending on natural resources.

They have their own knowledge of managing their livelihood.

It was also observed grass root local non - governmental organizations or radical organizations are better in extending support to such claims.

So far as the studies are concerned study conducted by Pant and Rajgopal are significant one.
Pant (2007) also made several field studies on self-help groups and their role in public sphere.

In her studies she focuses on the role of self-help group federation to provide network and unity among women.

She argues that these groups have the potentiality to work cohesively over issues concerning women.

Many of them are now going beyond their mandate to promote savings and micro-finance to local self- governance.
Such kinds of spaces are becoming significant as it offers the scope to emerge rural women leadership.

Rajgopal (2007) argues that programme on livelihood security and gender equality has positive association where gendered interests can be treated as citizenship rights.

In fact, all the above studies are expressed their optimism about the association between grassroot voluntary sectors like local non-governmental organisations with self-help collectives.
They viewed that the support of the former enhances the legal capability of members of self-help collectives.

Further, they also suggest that larger self-help collectives like federation can provide a sustained support for coalition among different groups in framing multiple issues and mobilise them as community.
Moreover, the community dimension of self-help collectives remain under 328 researched (Brokman, 1999, see also, Steinke, 2000).4 In Odisha some of the cases are also representing the above dimensions.

CASE STUDY 1 The above argument can be substantiated through one of the collective struggle led by Ama Sangthan – a federation of tribal women SHGs in Raygada district of Odisha.

This was initiated by hill broom collectors of mandi sahi village of the said district.
They raised their voice against the monopoly of state in determining the trading structure of broom grass especially right to bind and sell it.

In this process the forest department served the interest of traders.

After collecting broom in a minimal price, the department marketed it with high profit margin.

However, the primary workers became alienated from its ownership.

The president of the federation explained this as a cycle of exploitation.

This issue became an attraction for many scholars.


They have been able to assess the profit of traders with the help of local non - governmental organisation known as Agragami and aware about the burden of loss they are carrying.
This leads them to protest and in further years becomes supportive to bring changes in forest laws of the state (Mohapatra, 2004; see also Panda and Ragnhild, 2011).5 It may be argued over here that women who are traditionally engaged in livelihood earnings have now been mobilised to claim for greater stake in the globalised process.

Even tribal women are also using the self-help space to defend their community’s traditional rights and stands as a support for other grass root political organisations.
This can be justified in reference to mobilisation made by women SHG federation of Machakunda at gram panchayat level in Koraput.

The protest came in response to not fulfilling promises made by Odisha government to regularise transferring of defayati rights to local tribal communities of the district.

It has been a fact that in marginalised groups women are equally 329 participating in different kinds of economic activities.
This becomes true in case of hilly areas and the groups who basically live on their traditional livelihood patterns.

CASE STUDY 2 In another study Singh (2007) suggests that local grassroots institutional structures are no doubt, susceptible to elite domination.

In spite of such trend, SHGs associated with community management of forest opened up an opportunity to participate.

She argues that this kind of engagement make citizenship democratic.
In enabling marginalised women to participate and to put their demand in order, the role of non - governmental organisation cannot be discounted.

She conducted her work on women kendu leaf workers of Odisha at the block level forest management federation.

In this institutional framework how organising separate women’s meetings have provided them space to nurture their self-development and the self-determination.
In strengthening the confidence of women members to participate Vasundhara, one of the non - governmental organisation have played crucial role.

CASE STUDY 3 The findings of above studies also found to be similar in case of another federation known as Samudram whose office is located at Chatrapur Block of Ganajm district.

This federation was studied by the author herself during her Ph.D work (2016- 17).

It is a federation of marine fishing women.


Women workers of this federation had attempted to break the sole understanding that credit support only can be the medium for self-employment of poor women.

There is a necessity to protect the existing livelihood access of women.

In this process state has a major role.

It evolved autonomously and is supported by a local NGO known as United Artist Association.
They initiated their struggle against the local fishing contractor and tried to 330 sustain their fishing business in the local market.

It also provides cheap credit to member SHGs and voluntarily works for the dignity and well-being of fishing women and children.

They are continuing their expansion and able to sustain more than two decades.

They negotiated with the local influential contractors, local bureaucracy.
In this process, they have been able to negotiate differences with different caste groups of women, work for the women constituency and the community as well.
It also highlights how a shared occupational interest caused them to resolve their differences, join forces and bring about a number of policy provisions for fishing communities of Odisha (Tudu, 2018).66 Concluding Remarks: III There is no dispute about the fact that the livelihood needs of family continue to be a dominant factor for marginal rural women in India.

In fact, irrespective of critics of SHG experiment, one cannot deny the role of federation in provisioning sustainable livelihood opportunities.
In this regard, concluding observations are as follows.

First, it is clear from the second group of literatures and case studies that the women who continue their traditional occupation through SHGs are likely to be involved in better manner in federation activities than the other.

Here they voluntarily act like a community whose occupational interest inspire them to be together in addressing both livelihood and other needs as well.
Like in case Samudram, though women are illiterate but their association with fishing inspire them to be together to protest against the fishing contractors in their locality.

They even able to connect with different fishing caste groups of women.

Such connection have aware them about their group potentiality and the purpose for which federation is existing.

Therefore in promoting SHG federation occupational 331 homogeneity factor and interest of women cannot be ignored.
Secondly, the role of promoting institutions are also not to be underestimated.

Despite the logic of first observation, there is a need to recognise that in states like India and especially in Odisha developmental institutions like government and non - government organisations are playing crucial role in creating awareness among the people.

There has been a broad consensus that following Independence, development became central to the nationalist ideology.
Accordingly, Indian states were required to achieve the goals of modernization and redistribution in tandem with the aspirations for development.

Further, the existing inequalities made poverty alleviation one of the priorities of the state.

Poverty remained a core concern even after a shift from state-led capitalism to market economy.

One of the explanations attracts our attention towards the passive nature of social forces of Odia society.

It has also been discussed through social movement literature.
Social stratification on the lines of class and caste, as well as lack of assertion continues to be barriers in achieving equitable development (Mohanty, 1990; see also Jayal, 1999).

If one goes by above explanation, institutional intervention, indeed, has a great role.
Moreover both government and non - government organisations need to facilitate the autonomous potentiality of self-help group federation through raising their technical, legal capacity especially in by-law creation, information and necessary skill to sustain in the competitive environment of the market.

They also need to be sensitive about the choices of livelihood conventionally continued by rural women and take necessary steps to provide legal measures and its compliance.
Third, there is also a need to conduct more research about new case studies and their sustainability.

332 There has been a general consensus among the scholars that livelihood is basically a means of living.

It can be tangible and non-tangible.

Chambers (1995) Cited by Kothari (2007,p.5) This perspective came as a response to different social movements in India like Chipko movement.

For details see Kothari (2007).

Cited by Panda (2011, p.76) Cited by Chaudhary, et.al (p.62).
The latest amendment on NTFP policy 2000 has been a response to the above where the system of collection and disposal of NTFP, which are major source of livelihood of the rural poor, especially women, the State Government came out with a new policy guideline on 31.03.2000.

This gives ownership rights to the Gram Panchayat (village councils - lowest unit of local self- governance) not only in scheduled areas but also in the entire State.
6 The study is part of Ph.D thesis submitted by the author in June 2018 at Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

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 334 SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND RURAL WOMEN IN ODISHA Subrat Kumar Mishra Introduction Odisha is one of the major states of India with a population of 41.94 million in 2001.

Majority of the population is Hindu (94.64 percent).

It has the third lowest population density (269 persons per Sq.

Km in 2011) among the major states of India.


However, there is significant inter-district variation within the state on this front, with the district of Khurda leading the state in population density of 799 Persons Per Sq.

Km.

at one end, and Kandhamal district with a population density of only 91 persons at the other end.

This indicates massive spatial concentration of the population.

Coastal Odisha accounts for 52 per cent of the population of state with an area share of 25 per cent.
The rate of growth of population in Odisha during the decade 2001-2011 was 14.05 per cent as against 17.64 per cent for the entire country.

This is the sixteenth lowest rate of growth of population among all the states of India.
This has been the result of a distinct demographic regime-relatively low and steadily declining birth rate going hand in hand with relatively high and slowly declining death rate, something that does not really fit in to any of the three stages of the standard theory of demographic transition.

The rate of urbanization in 335 Odisha has been at 31 per cent.

There is also significant inter district variation in this respect.
The sex ratio of Odisha’s Population was 969 in 2011, the sixth highest among the Indian states, lower than Kerala (1084), Puducherry (1037), Tamilnadu(996), Andhra Pradesh(993) and Chhatishgarh (991).

The aggregate sex ratio of Odisha in 2011 is in fact lower than the 0-14 years age group sex ratio of 978.

This implies that there is no upward bias towards aggregate sex ratio due to greater male out migration as compared to that of females.
The population belonging to scheduled castes constitutes little more than 16 per cent of the state’s population.

Unlike the tribal population they are mostly concentrated in the four (undivided) coastal districts of Balasore, Cuttack, Ganjam and Puri which together constitutes 53.8 percent of the state’s SC population.1 Figure-1:Map of Odisha State Agro-ecological condition of Odisha Odisha possesses a varied physiography due to its geographical location with wide range of physical features.
The extensive ranges of hilly forests, several lofty peaks, rolling 336 uplands, long stretch coastline, extensive reverine system, brackish water, coastal mangroves and coastal plains together endow the state with a wide range of ecological habitats for a diverse and broad spectrum of flora and fauna.

On the basis of physical features and agro-climatic conditions, the state is divided into four zones.

i. ii.

iii.

iv.
i. ii.

iii.

iv.

Northern Plateau (Constituting 18.3 percent of the state’s area and comprising undivided Keonjhar, Mayurbhana and Sundergarh districts).

This region is characterized by hill ranges rising to elevations of 2000 to 3000 feet above sea level.

Central Table Land (Constituting 23.9 percent of the state’s area and comprising undivided Bolangir, Dhenkanal and Sambalpur districts).
This region is generally flat with slightly undulating and folded to topography rising to an elevation of 1000 feet.

Eastern Ghats (Constituting 32.0 percent of the state’s area and comprising the undivided districts of Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Koraput).

This region is dominated by hill ranges along with some plains and valleys lying between them, with elevation of plateaus ranging from 900 feet to 2000 feet.
Coastal Plains (Constituting 25.8 percent of the state’s area and comprising the undivided districts of Balasore, Cuttack, Ganjam and Puri).

This region consists of a number of river deltas.

The state receives about 1500 mm (60 inches) of rainfall normally, with a variability of 25-30 per cent.

About 77 per cent of the rainfall comes from the South-West monsoon (June to September).
However, the South-Western districts of Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput fall in the rain shadow zone of the South-West monsoon and hence receive highly erratic rainfall.

337 The coastal region presents a virtual mono-cultural landscape and the predominant crop, paddy is grown in two crop combinations with pulses, oilseeds or jute.

Paddy is the most important crop in highland Odisha and is widely cultivated in river valleys.
A large number of miscellaneous crops such as millets, pulses, oilseeds, jute and sugar cane are also grown.

Barring river basins, which comprise the fertile parts of the region, population density in the high land Orissa is quite low compared to the coastal plains and this also broadly corresponds to the level of agricultural productivity.

The ecological conditions in Odisha have been conducive to large tracts of vegetation.

Bamboo and Sal Forests abound in this region.


Forests yield a wide range of ‘minor’ products that provide livelihood support to the original inhabitants of this region almost throughout the year.

Besides forest resources, major mineral deposits are also found in this region.

The specific agro-ecological conditions of the state define the broad contours of livelihood options for its people.
These conditions, however, are not static and subject to change according to the patterns of human intervention and the modes of utilization of natural resources.

As a result, the natural conditions of production and livelihood security come under increasing threat due to deforestation, soil erosion, floods, water logging and soil salinity, as well as vulnerability to cyclonic storms.2 Livelihood and Economy of Odisha Odisha’s economy has been on a path of steady improvement in its growth.
As per the Odisha Economic Survey, 2017-18, Odisha’s GSDP is projected to grow at 7.14 per cent as against the national average of 6.5 per cent for India.

This follows a striking expansion of 10.39 per cent in the year 2016- 17.

Over the past few years, the State has been exhibiting strong catch-up growth, which is helping in the transformation 338 of the economy, from a lagging State to a State on the move.
During the fiscal period 2011 to 2017, while the economy expanded by 53 per cent, its real per capita income could be increased by 42 per cent to an estimated level of Rs 92,727 in 2017-18.

The share of agriculture and allied sectors (crops, livelihood, forestry, logging and fisheries) in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Odisha is 20 per cent where as 50 per cent of the state’s population rely upon agriculture.
The principal crop rice, constituting more than 90 per cent of total food grain production of state, recorded a bumper harvest of 97 lakh MT and productivity of 24 qtl/ha in 2016-17.

Intensive cultivation and expansion in the coverage of irrigated land has led to an increase in the area under cultivation of rice and crop yield in the entire State.
The areas under cultivation of rice crop have been increasingly diverted to HYV paddy as well as cash crops, improving the commercial viability of agriculture and making it remunerative for the farmers.

With 1.17 lakh ha of additional irrigation potential created during 2016-17, the total potential for irrigation of the State stands at 55.91 lakh ha (Kharif-37.83 ha and Rabi 18.08 ha).

Industry sector has a unique importance for the economy of Odisha.
The share of industry sector in GSDP is at 35 per cent is significant and the manufacturing Gross Value Added(GVA) in the organized industrial sector is 88 per cent.

During 2016-17, the mining sector growth at 10 per cent was robust while manufacturing and construction sectors grew at 5 and 6 percent, respectively.

In line with the all-India trends, the services sector comprises a growing component of Odisha’s economy.

It accounted for 43 percent of GSDP in 2016-17.


The sub-sectors Trade & hotels (10 percent), Transport & communication (7.5 percent), Real Estate (7.8 percent), and Other Services like education & health (8.4 percent) are the main drivers of the 339 services sector in the State.

The average (CAGR) growth of the services sector for the period 2011-17 stands at marginally over 9 per cent per annum.

The sector exhibited an accelerated growth rate of 10.7 per cent in 2016-17.
Trade, transport and other services sub-sectors grew impressively by more than 12 per cent, 14 per cent and 13 per cent respectively in 2016-17.
Financial services, although with a lower share of 4 per cent of GSDP, performed significantly with a growth rate of 9.7 per cent in 2016-17.3 Livelihood Security of Rural Women of Odisha on Mission Mode In the year 2006, Government of Odisha formed a society named ‘Orissa Poverty Reduction Mission (OPRM)’ to implement various poverty reduction programmes in the state, which was reconstituted and renamed as ‘Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM)’ an autonomous society under the aegis of Department of Panchayati Raj, Government of Odisha.
At present, Odisha Livelihood Mission implements National Rural Livelihoods Mission programme to provide sustainable livelihood to the rural poor of state.

Odisha was the first state in the country to launch National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) to bring down rural poverty by promoting diversified and gainful self-employment to the rural poor with special focus on women.
Poverty eradication program runs on a mission mode with focus to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for the rural poor households and nurture them till they are come out of poverty cycle and lead a quality life.

This is a centrally sponsored scheme with a proportionate ratio of 60:40 between Centre & State.
OLM has put in place a dedicated and sensitive support structure, to take the rural poor households out of poverty line trough capacity building, financial assistance and self-reliant institutions.

Odisha Livelihoods Mission commenced its functioning in year 2012.

OLM has reached out to 30 districts in Odisha through both intensive and non-intensive approach.
While all 193 blocks of 340 the state have been covered under Intensive implementation approach, the rest of the blocks operate through non-intensive mode.
A total of 3,30,693 SHGs have been made functional in the state by March 2018.4 Odisha Livelihood Mission implements the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission(DAY- NRLM) with the core belief that the poor have a strong desire and innate capabilities to come out of poverty, DAY-NRLM is having the mandate to reach out to all poor households, link them to sustainable livelihoods opportunities and nurture them till they come out of poverty and enjoy a decent quality of life.
Funding pattern of the program is 60:40 (CSS).

Following are the key components of DAY-NRLM.

i. Inclusive Social Mobilization and Community Institution Building: The program aims at mobilizing the rural poor into Self Help Groups and further build their institutions at village level called as Cluster Level Federation (CLF) at Gram Panchayat level called as Gram Panchayat level Federation (GPLF) and at block level called as Block Level Federation.
DAY-NRLM strongly believes in community to community extension and hence one of the core activity of the programme is to build community cadres for community mobilization, livelihoods (agriculture, livestock, and enterprise) and financial inclusion services to poor.

ii.

Financial Inclusion: Targeted households are being facilitated to access basic financial services like opening of Jan Dhan Account, social security through coverage under insurance.
Self Help Groups are being provided with the Revolving Fund and Community Investment Fund to meet household level consumption and initial production needs and also to 341 build institutional capacities of SHGs in managing bank credit.

To provide access credit in augmenting livelihoods, Self Help Groups are being supported for bank credit.

To provide the bank credit to SHGs at affordable rate of interest, Interest Subvention is being provided to Self Help Groupswho are making prompt repayment.

iii.
iii.

Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods and Employment Opportunities for the Poor.

This component includes: a. b. c. d. e. Focus livelihoods interventions through building a strong community cadre for extension services.

Promotion of Producers Collectives.

Employment through Skill and Placement program like DDU-GKY, Roshni.

Promote Self-Employment through training and settlement under RSETI.
Implementation of special project such as MKSP (Mahila Kisan Shasaktikaran Pariyojana), value chain project, SVEP (Start Village Entrepreneurship Program).

One of the pioneering initiatives of Odisha has been that 4643 SHGs have been covered under digital accounting system with instant capturing of all its transactions.

The digital accounting system helps SHGs to maintain fair and correct manual of books and records.
Each SHG has also been given with revolving fund up to Rs 15,000/- to take up some income generating activities.

The Extremely Poor and Vulnerable Households(EPVG), SC, ST, Persons with disabilities, households worked for 100 days under MGNREGS, Forest Rights Act beneficiaries, manual scavenger, widow, destitute, transgender and migrant households have been given with preference for receiving revolving fund.
218 SHGs have been released with revolving fund by 31st August 2018 during the 342 financial year 2018-19.

Each Gram Panchayat Level Federations(GPLF) has the provision of receiving Startup and Institutional Building fund amounting to Rs 10 to 12 lakhs.
The fund is an onetime grant of for 3 years for office rent, furniture and fixture.5 Areas of Concern In spite of having created opportunities for self employment and generation of sustainable livelihood through promotion of micro enterprises, there have been areas of concern in implementation of implementation of various activities under National Rural Livelihood Mission.
The areas of concern have been noted after intensive interaction with the members of SHGs, Gram Panchayat Level Federation and representatives of banks.

Following are the major areas of concern in implementation of NRLM.

i. ii.

iii.

iv.

v. vi.

Funds released for certain activities are diverted to other activities and consumption purposes at Group level.

Identification of livelihood supporting activities are done without the effective involvement of sectoral departments and bank representatives.
Project reports for income generating activities are deficient due to non-inclusion of essential elements in majority of the districts.

Only 40 to 50 per cent of the SHGs formed could reach to the third stage of evolution.

Moreover, grading exercises had not been properly conducted by independent agencies in majority of the districts.

Assistance for Revolving Fund was either not released at all or provided less than prescribed.

Release of loan and subsidy was delayed by the banks.
The excess of delay ranged from one month to two years.

In some cases, assistance was released to ineligible 343 groups.

vii.

In case of 10 to 15 per cent of the SHGs, it was found that assets were not created or were non-existent.

Their physical verification was not undertaken.

viii.

There are defaults in repayment of loans and arrangements to monitor recoveries have also been deficient.

Defaults in repayment ranged from 22 to 62 per cent across the state.

ix.
ix.

Deficiency in creation of infrastructure and irregularity in utilization of infrastructure was noticed in 30 per cent of the SHGs.

x.

Market surveys were not conducted properly and little attention was paid to improve technology on identified income generation activities among 40 to 50 per cent of the SHGs.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION The mandate of National Rural Livelihood Mission has been to reach out to all the poor families, link them to sustainable livelihoods opportunities and nurture them till they come out of poverty and enjoy a decent quality of life.

Towards this, Odisha Livelihood Mission has put in place a dedicated and sensitive support structures at various levels.
These structures work towards unleashing the innate potential of the poor and complement it with capacities to cope with external environment, enable access to finance and other resources, and with their own institutions at different level.

The institutions play the roles of initiating the processes of organizing them in the beginning, providing the livelihoods services and sustaining the livelihoods outcomes subsequently.
The support structures have been working with the unemployed rural poor youth of Odisha for skilling them and providing employment either in jobs, mostly in high growth sectors, or in remunerative self- employment and micro-enterprises.

344 In spite of inclusive social mobilization, community institution building, financial inclusion, promotion of sustainable livelihood and employment in rural areas of Odisha, poor community still struggles to have gainful self employment and remunerative wage employment.
The following measures are suggested for effective implementation of provisions envisaged in the National Rural Livelihood Mission in order to have sustained impact on livelihood of poor women in rural Odisha.

I. II.

III.

IV.

Activity based clusters may be developed in different parts of rural Odisha based on the skill, resource endowment and market facilities at local level.
Annual Training Calander may be prepared for SHG and its federations on various issues of livelihood, credit, marketing and skill development etc.

Appropriate training module may be developed to cater to the capacity gap requirements of various stakeholders.

Adequate training and sensitization may be done for the facilitators, SHG leaders, development functionaries and bank officials as well.
Proper training for all the stakeholders may lead to capacity building of women SHGs on all aspects of self employment and sustainable livelihood.

Non Government Organizations(NGOs), Community Based Organizations(CBOs) and bankers may be nominated as Self Help Promoting Institutions(SHPIs) for mobilizing qualitatively better groups.
There should be effective convergence of other flagship programmes of rural development such as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) with NRLM for developing livelihood supporting assets for the poor women in respect of the rural areas.

345 V. VI.

Timely grading of groups may be done with proper identification of weakness to initiate corrective measures can be initiated at the level of implementation.
Viable projects may be identified for the SHGs accordingly projects reports may be prepared covering all aspects of the proposed activity including skill development and marketing.

VII.

Bank officials may be involved in all stages of implementation including training of members of Self Help Groups.

VIII.
VIII.

Expenditure on infrastructure should facilitate creation of marketing facilities, better product design, diversification of products keeping in view the market trend, innovative technology, packaging, leveling of product to compete in the market etc.

IX.

Developing marketing linkage and market related information may be available to SHGs and their federation to enable the self employment of rural women to garner sustainable livelihood for them.

Reference 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


Census of India, 2011 Planning & Co-ordination Department, Government of Orissa, Human Development Report, 2004.
Economic Survey, 2017-18 Report of Odisha Livelihood Mission, Govt of Odisha, March, 2018 Report of Odisha Livelihood Mission, Govt of Odisha, March, 2018  346 CONTEMPORARY WOMEN’S LAND RIGHTS DISCOURSE IN INDIA: KEY BARRIERS TO PROPERTY INHERITANCE Sanjoy Patnaik Women’s access to and control over land has been a contentious issue and an unresolved debate since several decades.
Despite promulgation of progressive legislations like the Hindu Succession Act, 2005, special mentions and spaces created through Five year Plans and the emergence of a strong gender discourse in the 1980s, gender questions in property rights have been fairly weak and have remained unanswered.

There exists a wide ranging body of research that provide empirical evidence on why women should own land.
Numerous country level work have created strong arguments on how endowing women with land not only empowers them economically but also strengthens their ability to challenge existing gender inequities.

They further assert that if mothers own assets, children are more likely to attend school and receive medical attention.
Besides, land ownership works as a necessary condition for decreasing gender-based violence1.But most significantly it contributes to an improved quality of life through enhanced access to food, nutrition and income.

Women do two-thirds of the world’s farm work.

They produce 60 to 80 per cent of Africa’s and Asia’s food, 40 per cent of Latin America’s.

Yet they earn only one tenth of world’s income and own less than one per cent of world’s income.
They are among the poorest of world’s poor (World Bank: 1986)2.

If 347 women farmers across the developing world had the same access to labour, fertiliser, extension services, and seeds as male farmers, farm sector yields would increase as much as 20-30 per cent per household, and reduce hunger for about 100 – 150 million people.3 Therefore, land tenure security can be a game changer in empowering women to assert themselves better with agencies that provide inputs and extension services.
Across the country, less than 3% of women own farm land while close to 10% own (jointly with their husbands) homestead lands.

While technically women can own land through purchase, allocation and inheritance; the percentage of women who either purchase or inherit family land is negligible.
Major chunk of land in rural India is owned through inheritance of family land moving from one generation to the other strictly following a male line of descent restricting joint titling, and thereby, disallowing ownership rights to women.

Women in rural India typically depend on government land allocation or on in-laws/parents to inherit land as they are generally unable to purchase land.
Government-provided land is generally allocated to men who are deemed “heads of household.” Married women are registered as joint title holders in some states but single women who are family heads, can at best get a homestead plot.

A single woman who stays with her in-laws or parents and is not the household head, is less likely to get a land, reason being she getting subsumed in the larger family without being considered as a separate family to be eligible to get land.
More often than not, single woman staying either with her parents, or in-laws does not get land from the government as the land revenue officials assume that she would eventually inherit land from her in-laws or parents.

In reality, while few single women ever inherit land, they are frequently denied government allocations with the assumption that they may inherit land in future, leading to double disadvantage.
Moreover, during the process of land acquisition, 348 those who possess no legal title or interest stand automatically excluded from being compensated and women constitute the major chunk of such populace for having no records on land ownership4.
Status of property inheritance in non-schedule areas As per Hindu Succession Act, 2005, all agricultural lands are at par with other properties, which makes Hindu women’s land inheritance equal to that of men across states, overriding any procedural inconsistencies in state laws.

Married daughters are part of the family, whereas not a childless widow of her deceased husband’s family.
The provision of law and the entire argument around it is based on the notion that how land is ensured to stay within the control of the family currently owning it.

A childless widow is more likely to get married again, therefore, is denied a claim to her deceased husband’s property.

It essentially implies that a woman is eligible to inherit property as long as her husband is alive.
Therefore, in order to achieve increased gender equity in property inheritance, it is imperative to delink property rights from marital status.

Most State revenue laws prescribe property partition where all interested parties decide the process through consent.

Property partition in a Hindu undivided family (HUF) is tedious and generally moves only if the men in the family agree to partition existing property.
In the event of death of a married son in an Hindu undivided family (HUF), it is almost impossible for his widow to inherit land as the partition process can rarely be consensual given the strong patriarchal context making single woman inheriting land from her in-laws or parents difficult5.

Besides, because of strong socio-cultural norms, it is almost impossible for women to demand for their share of family land even when her husband is alive.
In most parts of the country the patriarchy is so powerful that more often than not the field level revenue bureaucracy would prefer 349 escaping a property partition process that is not moved by the men in the family.

Howsoever progressive the substantive law6 maybe, if the procedural laws are not enabling and gender responsive, women inheriting land becomes impossible.
For instance, section 19 (1) c of the Odisha Land Reforms Act says, ‘no partition of a holding among co-sharer raiyats shall be valid unless made by –a) a registered instrument; or b) a decree of a Court or; or c) an order of the Revenue Officer in the manner prescribed, on mutual agreement.

The co-sharers on a mutual consent apply to the local revenue office for partition of joint holdings recorded in their ancestors/in-laws and issued an individual title in their name separately.
The key challenge is an apriori condition for mutual consent that forms the basis for partition of joint holdings.

For a single women applying for partition of husband’s property, the challenge is if consent of all parties could not be obtained, the revenue officer has to forward the case to civil court turning it to a ‘devil and deep sea’ issue for her.

Unfortunately, the law is very much tilted towards achieving mutual consent where the land revenue officer has almost no role.
Moreover, a proactive and progressive land revenue officer finds it very difficult to move the process as it invariably leads to confronting a strong rural patriarchy.

The current property partition laws, therefore, are hardly gender equitable and only a futile attempt to bring in equality amongst unequals.
However, the recent landmark verdict by the Delhi High Court that the eldest woman member a family can be its ‘karta’ is a significant step towards attaining gender equality in inheriting property rights.
The court order said that law provided “equal rights of inheritance to Hindu males and females, its objective is to recognize the rights of female Hindus and to enhance their rights to equality apropos succession”.7 Status of property inheritance in Schedule V Areas 350 The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 does not apply to tribal communities and inheritance is predominantly governed by their customary practices restricting ownership of land to women.
However, there are cases where tribals have declared themselves as Hindus to be governed by Hindu undivided family (HSA), though such instances are very few.

Primarily in eastern Indian states of Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, most customary practices concerning women’s property rights are discriminatory and patriarchal.
The SPTA (Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act) and the CNTA (Chotta Nagpur Tenancy Act) in Jharkhand proclaims as strong protective measures for tribal communities in Jharkhand but reflects very poorly when it comes to providing property rights to tribal women8.

In tribal societies, land is titled only in the name of man with neither wife nor daughter having a right to inherit.

While tribal women don’t inherit private agricultural land, government distributed land is also seldom joint titled.
In these societies, women are considered as ‘outsiders’ both in the natal village and the village they are married to.

Therefore, giving land to women would mean land going out of their village/clan.

Moreover, since land records are in the name of man, in the case of unmarried daughter or widow, the records have to be in the name of the brother or widow’s son or any male member on her in-laws side.

Besides, a tribal woman cannot inherit her husband’s land unless he has a son.
In the absence of a male child, a daughter gets land if her husband marries into the girl’s family and stays with her natal family.

An unmarried girl can utilise the parental land and mortgage it in case of emergency but she can neither sell nor get the title transferred to her name, Women have the right to produce on parental land without ownership over land, it is the right to support family (Bharan Posan).
There are evidences 351 of gifts (Dan Patra) being given to daughters but these gifts do not have legal sanctity if unregistered.

Suggested Legal and Administrative Reforms Land Allocation and Titling       Joint titling of land in the name of both spouses is an administrative order, rather than a law, that most States fail to uphold.

Either the process of making it a legal necessity should start or be made mandatory by virtue of some order or rule.
Besides, all lands – whether homestead or agricultural, government distributed, or family land, should be joint titled.

Education and awareness campaigns about joint titling have proven effective and should be expanded.

There are some good examples of incentivizing joint ownership of land, one of such is recently introduced by Ministry of Rural Development in its Housing Project.

However, these efforts should be backed by policy support.
Government should also consider exclusive titling for women to discourage easy transfer and mortgaging.

Landless enumeration in States (by the Revenue/Land Resources Department) must ensure that single women are identified and made eligible to get land, if they are landless as per State laws.

The current definition of “farmer” (anybody who cultivates his own land) disproportionally excludes women whose names tend not to be included on land titles.
It should be reviewed and be delinked from land ownership to include landless cultivators and women as farmers.

State government need to form a team of experts and practitioners to monitor and execute the provisions under 352 ‘asset ownership’ promised in the State Girls and Women Policy, 2013.

Land and Property Inheritance     A thorough review of State land laws and related policies with a gender lens needs to be undertaken to ensure women have greater access to property.
This process will also help identifying inconsistent state laws that the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act (HSAA) technically overrides.

For instance, the new revenue code, modified in 2016 by Uttar Pradesh government doesn’t give married daughters equal rights as given to unmarried daughters and there is huge discrimination between several lines of heirs.
States need to revisit the provision of ‘consensual partition’ in their respective laws and replace it with a ‘suo motto’ or automatic process as the word ‘consent’ is making property partition discretionary which it is not.

State laws do not empower revenue officials to initiate suo motto partition.

Therefore, in the event of disagreement or lack of consensus among family members, the case is either dropped or pushed to civil courts making it almost impossible for women to get any right.
States should develop a monitoring framework to provide information on gender segregated data on land ownership.

Distinct effort has to go in from both the Ministries around developing and finalizing the SDG indicators on land rights with focus on women.

It may be useful to integrate these indicators into specific programmes with impact/result determinants.

The State Legal Services Authority can set up guidelines to provide support to women in the process of obtaining ownership through inheritance.
353  The way alienation of tribal land is considered as an atrocity against tribals, an attempt to usurp movable or immovable property of women should also be defined as ‘violence’ or as ‘atrocities against women’ making denial of land rights to women a cognizable offence.

Disposition of Land cases   Property partition cases are referred to civil courts making it almost impossible for a woman to get justice in time.
The revenue courts may be provided with the authority to deal with and dispose of inheritance cases and should restrict the authority of civil courts to enter into the jurisdiction of revenue courts.

States need to be instructed to open fast track courts to dispose property partition cases of women, especially single women.
Sensitization and capacity building     National and provincial Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) to introduce special curriculum on women’s land rights for fresh bureaucrats/ probationers.

States must sensitize and train field revenue officials to enable them to properly handle, women’s land rights issues.
State rural development and livelihoods promotion initiatives need to focus on land with special focus on women’s capacity to understand land issues through massive land literacy campaigns It may be good idea to introduce land rights as a key subject in higher secondary school curriculum, especially to sensitise the adolescent boys around the property rights framework of their sisters and mothers.
Recognition 354 of property rights of the other sex can work to develop respect and prevent domestic violence Monitoring and Evaluation     1 2 3 4 Government may consider jointly designing a set of monitoring indicators to look at their commitments on promoting women’s rights and entitlements for their overall development.

Government may consider creating a framework for monitoring programs so that they can be managed and implemented effectively.
This may include carrying out gender-sensitive assessments and research to better understand what is needed and/or should be prioritized States may be advised to form a high level committee to monitor women’s land ownership under the chairpersonship of the Chief Secretary with at least two non-state representatives to advise State government on women’s property rights issues.
Government/ Ministries may consider working closely with other Ministries on women’s property rights issues, for instance, with MoRD on National Rural Livelihoods Mission.

Working closely would mean agreeing to a set of indicators that could be monitored and reviewed periodically for effective implementation and attaining the desired results.

Kelkar, et al, Landesa, ‘Women’s Asset Ownership and Reduction in Gender- based Violence, 2014, New Delhi.
Bumiller, Elisabeth, ‘May you be the mother of a hundred sons’, Penguin Books India, New Delhi, 1991.

FAO 2011, The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development, Rome.

Jairam Ramesh, M.A.Khan, ‘Legislating for Justice: The Making of the 2013 Land Acquisition Law’, Oxford University Press, 2015, New Delhi.
355 5 6 7 8 In a letter dated 1st August 2014 to all Chief Secretaries , the then Secretary, Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Government of India, referred to the Planning Commission’s renewed focus on endowing women with land as an important instrument for empowering them.
The letter references the 12th Five Year Plan, which states that as per Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act (HSAA), 2005; all agricultural lands are at par with other properties, which makes Hindu women’s land inheritance equal to that of men across States, overriding any inconsistencies in the State laws.
The letter also states that the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), in collaboration with the Department of Land Resources, would monitor the progress in implementation of the HSAA relating to women’s land inheritance rights.

The Hindu Succession Act 2005, which is a central law.

The ruling came after a suit was filed by the eldest daughter of a family in Delhi staking claim to be its ‘Karta’ on the passing of her father and three uncles.
The eldest son of a younger brother declared himself to be the next Karta.

But, he was challenged by the daughter of the eldest brother Jharkhand is governed by two agrarian legislations - the Chota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act, 1908 and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act, 1949 promulgated with the objective of protection of tribal land from getting illegally transferred to non-tribals including restoration of illegally alienated land of the tribals.
These land tenure laws were promulgated and conceptualised during the British era with an intention to control uprising by tribals by giving them space to practice their customs and ways of existence.

Rights could be accrued internally without allowing any external settlers in these areas.
The Survey and Settlement in Jharkhand (then Bihar) was last conducted in 1932, therefore, the Khatian (Record of Rights Register) used now only reflects families whose occupation/possession/claims were recorded during that time.

As a result, there is no correct record available of the number of owners of particular plots as people have either migrated or permanently shifted from villages to other urban areas.
Therefore, the revenue officials don’t have figures around the extent of homesteadless families including single women in any particular village, though the State government provides 3 decimals of land for homestead purposes to people residing on government land.

 356 PROVISIONS AND STATUS OF WOMEN IN FOREST RIGHTS Sonali Mohapatra Globally and more particularly in India, it is a proven fact that land is a critical resource for survival for majority of poor and rural households.
Land is the identity, provides cultural root to populations who thrive and survive over generations.

Many stories are passed down through folklores that are based on land and other natural resources.

As per Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about 60-70 per cent of the population in India are directly or indirectly depended on agriculture as their livelihoods and majority of these households reside in the Schedule Areas.
Out of these households majority are also largely dependent on forest resources for their sustenance.

The largest source of energy, timber, food, fodder, medicines, water etc.

forests also contribute towards agriculture production by being the largest source of land and soil for small scale crop production.

Forests are rich source of spiritual and cultural connect and provides communities with a sense of security.
More importantly, forests regulate the micro weather patterns, also affecting communities locally as well as the world weather phenomenon at a macro level.

After agriculture, the second largest volume of land is used by forest sector.

In the remote forest fringe villages about 300 million 357 tribal and other local people depend on forests for their sustenance and livelihood and about 70% of India’s rural population depends on fuel wood to meet their basic domestic energy needs.
For about 100 million of these populations, forests are the main source of livelihood and cash income from fuel wood, non-timber forest produce (NTFP) etc.

More than half of India’s 70 million tribal population depend on forest for sustenance.1 This dependency of communities on Forests and natural resources has been changing over decades in its forms and dimensions.
With a growth of civilisation, ancient practices like shifting agriculture and other factors like globalisation have led to a changing relationship between the forest dwellers and the Forest.

The present status of forest in India as per FAO publication cites the land area of India totals 328.7 million ha.

of which 142.5 million ha.

(43.3%) is under agriculture, forests cover 76.5 million ha.

(23.27%).
(23.27%).

During the medieval period, the forests were owned by local chiefs and access rights were awarded to local communities.

Britishers in the nineteenth century wanted the timber from the forests which led to the rulers asserting their ownership over the forest by bringing in laws.

This resulted in the degeneration of the traditional community forest management systems across geographies.
The dependency of communities on Forest had resulted in development of a centuries old relationship that was based on protection and regeneration.

The communities over generations protected and regenerated the forests within the boundaries decided among the neighbouring habitats/dwellings.
It is iterated by field experiences which clearly states that the extent of depletion of Forests has been high resulting in the government taking action against communities assuming that they have been operating from a perspective of extraction more than conservation or regeneration.

This has resulted in a 358 tussle between the forest dwelling communities and the institution which holds the position of power2.
Factors that are adversely affecting forest dwelling communities, especially women who bear the burden of this environmental degradation most include land acquisition for industries, plantation programmes by government for improving the forest coverage and so on.

In this context the paper tries to highlight the legislations that have an impact around forest land tenure at the community level and within those the status related to the provisions for women’s rights and their participation.
With government prescriptions on land ownership for poor rural communities and recognition of rights of forest dwellers it is important to understand whether the laws and policies have been inclusive in ensuring women’s resource rights.

The following legislations are important to understand the provisions of Forest Rights Act, 2006 Panchayati Raj Act and women From the context of women, it is important to understand the provisions prescribed in Panchayati Raj Act (73 rd Constitution Amendment) in 1992.
It is a three-tier Panchayati Raj system to ensure people’s participation in rural reconstruction in general and that of women in particular and it came into force with effect from April 24, 1993.

The Act has provisions for women and provides for reservation of not less than one-third of the total number of seats for women (including the number of seats reserved for SCs and STs).
It further prescribes not less than one-third of the total number of offices of chairpersons in the Panchayats at each level shall be reserved for women.

This would be done in a rotational basis between different Panchayats at each level3.

Panchayati Raj Institution has been a pioneering step in ensuring women to get an opportunity to participate 359 meaningfully in the decision making and leadership position within the community.
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 is a milestone in providing women a platform to voice their opinions regarding issues by participating in administrative and political arena from a leadership position.

The societal bias and patriarchal mindset still prevails within the institution and is controlled by the people in position of power.

Even today we can find instance husband’s taking decision for the women elected representatives.
Similarly, it is apparent that due to factors like low level of literacy, lack of adequate training regarding delineation of their responsibilities, dominance of elected male members, women representatives to some extent have acquired a negative opinion regarding women’s leadership capacity.

The Act in itself is not limiting but the apparent implementation gaps negate the very spirit of the provisions made in the law related to women’s meaningful participation at the implementation level.
Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA-1996) The Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 is a law that was enacted by the Government of India guaranteed self-governance in Scheduled Areas through traditional Gram Sabhas.

PESA upholds all provisions mentioned in the Panchayati Raj Act, and is talking about extension of Panchayati Raj Act, to Scheduled Areas and it prescribes certain additional feature which talks about equality in spirit.
Certain features related to women mentions that a person that is member of Scheduled Tribe shall be selected as chairperson for Gram Sabha for one year by consensus.

If there is a lack of consensus among the members present, the oldest lady from the Scheduled Tribes would be the chairperson.

It further says that the quorum of 360 the Gram Sabha meeting will be one fifth of the total members.

There shall be a separate quorum for women, which will be one third of the general quorum4.
Provisions for women of Forest Rights Act (2006) The Forest Rights Act is one of the most progressive instruments that ensures community participation and upholds the Gram Sabha’s decision in terms of Rights recognition.

Broadly FRA recognises three types of rights (1) land rights; (2) right to use and collect; and (3) right to protect and conserve.
In terms of women’s participation FRA prescribes a) women’s participation at Gram Sabha level b) Forest Rights recognition with joint- titles c) women as members of Sub- Divisional Level Committee FRA clearly mentions women’s active participation at the Gram Sabha level.
In FRA chapter 1 section 2(g) says “Gram Sabha” as a village assembly which shall consist of all adult members of a village and in case of states having no Panchayats, no Padas, Tolas and other traditional village institutions and elected village committees, with full and unrestricted participation of women.
In chapter 3 section 4 the Act pronounces, ‘A right conferred by sub-section (1) shall be heritable but not alienable or transferable and shall be registered jointly in the name of both the spouses in case of married persons and in the name of the single head in the case of a household headed by a single person and in the absence of a direct heir, the heritable right shall pass on to the next-of- kin’.
In the next chapter 4 section (8) says the Sub-Divisional Level Committee, the District Level Committee and the State Level Monitoring Committee shall consist of officers of the departments of Revenue, Forest and Tribal Affairs of the State Government and three members of the Panchayati Raj 361 Institutions at the appropriate level, appointed by the respective Panchayati Raj Institutions, of whom two shall be the Scheduled Tribe members and at least one shall be a woman, as may be prescribed.
FRA Rule 2012, section 3 (1) states that the Gram Sabhas shall be convened by the Gram Panchayats and in its first meeting it shall elect from amongst its members, a committee of not less than ten but not exceeding fifteen persons as members of the Forest Rights Committee, wherein [at least two third members shall be the Scheduled Tribes.
]; Provided that not less than one-third of such members shall be women; provided further that where there are no Scheduled Tribes, at least one third of such members shall be women.

Section 4 (e) mentions that functions of Gram Sabha prescribe constitution of committees for Conservation and Management to carry out the provisions of Sec 5 of the FRA.
This also can be interpreted that women should be part of Conservation and Management Committees prescribed in the rule in line with the guidelines for FRC and have at least one third of its members who are women.
Status of Women’s participation in implementation of Forest Rights Act With progressive laws it is important to locate the factors behind existing gaps in implementation of the laws resulting in challenges including a) low number of claims submitted and recognised b) families that have received titles where they do not have possession or have not claimed for that particular patch of land (when the law gives recognition to land already under possession) c) titles given in the name of the husband while the wife’s name is written along with other dependents of the family d) titles given to male heir when husband of the woman has passed away and so on.
The issues that emerge from field research5 conducted 362 in February 2015, among 500 respondents from SHGs promoted by PRADAN in two blocks each from Rayagada and Kandhamal districts, show that women lack awareness about FRA with only 45% of the respondent having heard about the Act.

The households also have less awareness about their claim on revenue land or forest land.
From among the respondents only 6% of applicants said that they have given their proof of land possession with their application and this clearly creates bottlenecks in recognition of FRA claims.

A gap in implementation of the FRA is obvious as implementation issues were identified by the respondents.

The Other Traditional Forest Dwellers are completely left out in the implementation process due to lack of proof of continuous possession of land.
Even the tribal forest dwellers are not optimally gaining under the Act as the allotment has been less than the claims submitted.

In this process, women are also affected equally.

As per the discussion with Forest Rights Committee members and men in the tribal community in village Rodangi, it was shared with the researcher that claims are decided arbitrarily and discretionally based on the social status, power and prestige of a person in the society.
Nearly 48% of the respondents identified the major reason for non-inclusion of women’s names in land document was the tradition that doesn’t allow women to own land.

In case of community forest rights, Danhanjaipur village of Sadar Block in Keonjhar District, which has 120 households currently has been protecting and conserving their forest since 1975 and have maintained a register in this connection.
The women in the village shared with the researcher that until recently they were not aware about FRA even though they have been protecting their forest.

The women said that when they got to know about the Act from a facilitating organisation, they have felt that it is their right and they should demand for what is their right since generations.

They not only became active 363 members of the FRC, they have also participated in each of the FRC meetings, village meetings and the Gram Sabha.
Incidences of women not being part of FRCs are also available, in several villages in various district.

The FRC was reconstituted by the ITDA and doesn’t have representation from all hamlets.

However, when this was brought to the notice of the Welfare Extension Officer, the villagers were informed that the FRC members were selected in 2012 and they cannot be changed.

Dimiria village in Sadar Block of Keonjhar District has been protecting their forest since 1958.
They have a register which has documented resolutions of their annual meetings to this effect since 1982.

The community engages two watchers who are paid through contribution of paddy from each household.

All households have free access to collect Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) and medicinal herbs but have regulated the collection of firewood.
The community makes an annual thinning and cleaning operation of the forest and all the materials collected through cleaning are stacked as per the number of households in the community.

The stacks are then distributed among the households in the form of a lottery ensuring equitable distribution of resources.
During Focused Group Discussions with members of the community including women, it was shared by the participants that intra community conflicts prohibit participants of few households and also women to participate in the larger community processes including the FRA claim process.

Women FRC members also shared that the recent conflict aroused as some families approached them for leniency as they want to access the NTFP as per their need.
But they expressed that being FRC members we have to be judicious and can’t favour any one group.

Institutional and implementation bottlenecks along with social barriers 364 It is important to understand that FRA in principle prescribes that women are integrated as part of the implementation of the law.

FRA mandates that women have adequate representation and meaningfully participate at all the levels of decision making from FRC, to Gram Sabha, SDLC and DLC.
However, there is a distinct disconnect between the spirit of the law and what is being implemented.

FRA when translated into the ground there are implementation gaps which are posing as challenges.

The socio-cultural issues such as women’s lack of participation in the traditional village meetings or community level decision bodies, customary laws and subsequent practices lack inheritance rights among Tribals.
Titles issued jointly can make us assume that women’s names are in the titles but reality on the ground is not the same.

In this context, it is interesting to note that even though the government has issued numerous circulars regarding FRA implementation but so far any information in a gender desegregated manner on status of women receiving FRA titles through joint titling or individually is not issued.
There is a lack of assessments undertaken by the Ministry of Tribal Affaires (MoTA), Government of India, regarding the status of women benefiting from FRA, status of their meaningful participation in the implementation process so far, whether FRA has been gender inclusive and resulting in lack of data regarding women’s participation in FRA process is not available for analysis.
Need for assessment of status of gender inclusive implementation of FRA An independent assessment needs to be undertaken to understand the status of women in FRA.

It is important to study whether FRA has been gender inclusive, and to what extent it has helped women to ensure their rights.

365 It is important to understand whether there are any institutional arrangements made for this purpose, structures created to ensure gender inclusive implementation at the field.
MoTA should issue a circular regarding the status of women receiving titles under FRA.

Evidence should be generated through independent assessments to help government develop structures for monitoring and develop institutional arrangements for ensuring gender inclusive, participatory and rights based implementation of FRA in its true spirit.

It will also help the government in generating data for achieving the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Endnotes : i ii iii iv http://www.fao.org/docrep/ARTICLE/WFC/XII/0586-C1.HTM Teaching Learning/ Ecological Security/The Foundation for Ecological Security/Edited by Samar Singh https://iasscore.in/society/role-of-women-in-panchayati-raj- system http://pesadarpan.gov.in/en_US/rules  366 GENDER CONCERNS IN NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE Swapnasri Sarangi It has become increasingly clear in recent years that the present development paradigm did not bring about the promised improvement in the livelihood conditions of the poor.
Instead, the process seems to have contributed to the growth in poverty, gender inequalities, depletion of natural resources and degradation of the environment.

Large tracts of land remain unproductive, leaving millions of resource poor families without any means to survive.

The beliefs in the limitless capacities of Nature and Science and Technology has not only led to degradation of the environment but have also left limited survival options for the poor.
Deforestation, monoculture practices in agriculture, loss of groundwater, flooding, landslides and destruction of biomass has worsened the situation of the society at large and women in particular because the effect of environmental degradation are felt most by the sections interacting with Nature.

Gender specific tasks such as fetching water, fuel and fodder force the women to interact with Nature and devise ways to live in harmony with it.
Thus, while women become victims of the degradation process, their gender specific role gives them an experiential understanding of Nature, thereby making them more knowledgeable about the way Nature functions and interacts with each another.

367 Women manage natural resources daily in their roles as farmers and household providers.

Typically, they are responsible for growing subsistence crops, and often have unique knowledge of local crop species.
Many women have more in-depth knowledge of tree and forests in terms of biological diversity, sustainable management and use of various purposes and conservation practices.

Women are aware of the food and medicinal values of forest products important during the food crisis.

In many region, women play crucial role in providing livestock with tree based fodder, thereby contributing to domestic livestock production and sustaining draught animals for ploughing manure.
To meet family needs, rural women and girls walk long distances to collect fuel wood and water.

Despite a greater reliance upon natural resources as compared to men, women have less access to and control over resources.

Women are subjected to specific constraints due to gender inequalities and these constraints shape the results they obtain in natural resource management.
The constraint most frequently identified are: lack of access to land, poverty, marginalised, discriminatory and inadequate laws on the use of natural resources, lack of access to decision making organs, unjust and unfair cultural practises, women’s heavy workload, lack of education and training and also the way in which women’s activities are structured.

This is also due to the fact that custom prohibit women from owning land in many places.
Frequently women have only the user right and these rights are highly precarious.

Usually it is men who put land, water, plants and animals to commercial use, which is often more valued than women’s domestic uses.
This is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that, almost 85% of rural women around the world still derive their livelihoods from land and forest based activities and any situation that causes deterioration of natural environment or that adversely affects their access and control 368 over natural resources has a deep impact upon their lives.

The effects of deterioration of natural environment on lives of women have been said to be multi-fold.
Since in all rural households, it is the women who are responsible for collection of fuel wood for household purposes for cooking when forests recede, women have to walk farther thereby increasing the time and energy spent in getting fuel and fodder.

Further, women also gather a diverse range of forest produce and participate as wage labour in forestry works.
It is estimated that women’s employment in forest based enterprises is 571.85 million days of which 90% is in small scale enterprises using minor forest produce as raw material.

Similarly, when the water table falls and there is scarcity of water needed for household purposes, women spend longer durations in completing household chores.
Thus any activity that alters women’s access to natural resources-whether it is land, water or forests, has a direct impact on the level of social status, incomes and in turn their nutrition and health.

Men and women hold gender-differentiated interests in natural resource management through their distinctive roles, responsibilities and knowledge.

Gender is thus understood as a critical variable in shaping processes of ecological change, viable livelihoods and the prospects for sustainable development.
However, relational perspectives on gender purport to give greater emphasis to the dynamics of gender, emphasizing power relations between men and women over resource access and control, and their concrete expressions in conflict, cooperation and coexistence over environments and livelihoods.

Women are more than often side-lined as ‘beneficiaries’ and are rarely engaged in the management strategies formulated.

This takes away from the benefit intended to them.


Lack of formal rights to resources like land, water and forest discourages women participation.

Women’s lack of participation in resource governance is 369 due to a number of interlocking inequalities at the household, community and state levels.

Increasing women’s bargaining power to enable them to participate equally in resource governance process which will not only be good for women, but also for the resource base.
Because women’s greater presence in the decision-making body of natural resource governance makes a significant difference – better conservation of the resource base and meeting local needs.

Scope for women in Natural Resource Governance: Women’s participation in Natural Resource Governance has got some importance recently.
Women’s access to natural resources were included in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which includes specific clauses on the equal treatment of women in agrarian reforms and equal treatment of men and women i.e.

the ownership, management and disposition of property.

The policy formation in the last two decades has undergone a slow but steady shift towards building a gender perspective.
The rationale for recognising women participation in natural resource conservation, restoration and governance has been based on several arguments.

 A major part of the degraded natural resource fall within the realm of Common Property Resources which requires collective action where women are likely to have more knowledge.

 Women’s relationship with natural resource is multifaceted, with special affinity to it more than that of men.
Women also possess the traditional knowledge of many natural resources like plants, water bodies and other natural elements owing to their close association with these resources.

 Women’s participation in natural resource conservation is believed to meet their practical needs as well as their 370 strategic needs.

Women realise the importance of natural resources for their subsistence needs such as fuel, fodder, fire wood, drinking water etc.
Their role in governance of these resources highlight these uses, which otherwise gets neglected.

Thus the practical gender needs in their traditional roles are met more effectively.

Involvement of women in governance of natural resources can bring about a social change that can transcend barriers of social hierarchy, gender discrimination and cross socio- political, economic and legal hurdle.
In the process, women’s strategic needs such as overcoming subordination and establishing identity in socio-political and cultural context are also met.

But it is obvious that mere participation of women in development programs related to natural resource conservation and governance may not guarantee success of the natural resource restoration program.

Similarly they may not bring about either equitable access to resources or break the barriers of the patriarchal society.
A combination of factors would lead to a success story of natural resource conservation as well as visible benefits to the women participating in the conservation efforts.

Space in governance structure: Many Indian communities protect and manage specific territories containing wildlife and rich bio-diversity.
These could be areas of cultural and religious significance such as sacred grooves, village forests, watersheds and pasture land conserved to meet livelihood needs; wetlands conserved for drinking and irrigation facility; traditional agriculture systems with diverse agriculture and natural niches and costal and marine areas that protect traditional fisheries.
For this as a matter of principle all the institution has to set in place rules and regulations that are not only based on their micro-reality, but also take into consideration larger principles of successful shared natural 371 resource governance.

Institutional design therefore should aim to involve all the users including women in the management and governance of the resource.
The focus has to support the institution which keeps in centre the views and needs of the deprived sections to address social equity and distribution equity components adequately.

All the institutional arrangements should have specific provision for inclusion of women in the governance structure itself.

For example, in watershed projects minimum five women are to be made part of the Watershed Development Committee.
Most of the cases the venue and time of village level meetings are to be decided keeping in mind the preference of women members to enable them to participate and deliberate on different issues and concerns.

While ensuring the tenure rights of the village on forest resource through Community Forest Rights (CFR) provision of Forest Right Act, women members are given equal opportunity to represent in Forest Right Committee and Community Forest Right Management Committee.
This ensures their right over the forest resource settled in the name of the village institution and thereby endorses their access to benefits from forest resource.

Role in decision making process: To ensure their actual engagement in the decision making process sincere effort has to be made to register their demands and concerns.

Specific roles and responsibilities have to be assigned to women of the village.
Starting from preparing the list of species to be planted in the village to specify locations for water harvesting structures, several such decisions has to be taken by the women members of the village institutions.

They also have to be given the prime responsibility of designing the livelihood intervention plan aimed at improving the economic opportunity for village communities.
Policies and practises empowering women in the forest sector yield significant benefits to food security and nutrition and 372 sustainable management of forests.

Facilitating women’s participation in forest user group, improving their access to different source of energy and enhancing their access to processing techniques and markets through programs like Joint Forest Management and Stale Livelihood Mission have been found to make a major difference in the livelihoods of forest dependent people .
There are several such initiatives which has been supported under the Odisha Livelihood Mission where women groups have come together to establish production clusters for processing and marketing of Non Timber Forest Produces and other forest products.

Women in the community has to be encouraged to take up economic activities, either as individual or as group, around the areas where positive impact has been made or resource base has been increased.
Women as equal partners: Efforts are to be made to position women as equal partners in all spheres of village level institution governing natural resources.

In planning, implementation and monitoring of projects women have to be given equal responsibility and opportunity to participate and voice their concerns and demands.

Equal pay to women workers for similar kind of work has to be provisioned to avoid any gender discrimination.
At organizational and government level, manuals and guides for ‘engendering natural resource governance policies, should be developed.

These manual and guides must be gender sensitive.

This process however, needs to be accompanied by a parallel process for engendering relevant natural resource sector organization and institutions.
Transforming the institutional culture by virtue of the principles of equality, equity and sustainability- especially inclusiveness, transparency and accountability is critical to change the culture of natural resource management.

Benefits of improved access of women to natural resources: Working with women as equal partners and with 373 improved access to land, water and forest through various programs, the overall development of women has increased and the gender power imbalance have improved marginally.
The process however has been initiated and it would take a while before a significant improvement could be noticed.
However, some of the initial benefits that have been observed include:     More income generation activities around the improved resource base and increased financial independence Reduced poverty, vulnerability & migration Improved health, hygiene & nutrition Resource conservation through efficient usage Developing capacities to enhance women’s role: In natural resource governance, capacity building for women is carried out to transform their positions so that their roles as farmers, environmental managers, professionals and decision makers for instance are fully recognised and supported in order to ensure equal distribution of responsibilites, rights, benefits and power.
Women specific capacity building can therefore target;    Building manegerial skill and leadership qualities Informing them about their rights on aspects of their governance of natural resoucres like forest, land and water is concerned.

Building capacities of women to generate income through enhanced and effective engagement with markets and through the developmen of enabling environments in natural resoucre management insitutions.
These capacity building initiatives can also among other issues adddress the 374      Role of women in community affairs Problems of women with regard to use and management of natural resources Management of natural resources for meeting the specific needs of women Social insitutions and role of women in their management Advocating for greater benefits and decision making power for women Promoting women’s leadership Gender equity capacity building initiatives for policy makers, governement, professionals and user groups should also be carried out if participatory management of natural resoucres is to be realised.
CONCLUSION Active involvement of women in governance of natural resources like forest, water bodies or land not only brings about social justice but also is instrumental as a precondition for establishing effective governance mechanism.

Women help in protection initiatives not because they are atone with the nature, but because they effectively polices transgressors, spread information about rules through their peer groups, think long term and instil a conservation ethics in their children.
It is therefore essential to build gender dimensions in natural resource governance process.

This would help in taking women’s involvement beyond mere reservation in the village level decision making institutions.

It would further need to be backed by increasing their actual engagement in the various committees working on access and control over natural resources-whether it is the Gram Sabha, Forest Rights Committee, Water Users Association, Biodiversity Management Committee or Self Help Groups.
Few initiatives can be taken up to improve women’s role in natural resource governance.

For this woman’s participation 375 has to be increased in institutions managing natural resources.

Women’s knowledge and abilities in managing natural resources has to be recognised.
Women has to be given special attention in training activities because although they play important role in management of resources, their particular roles and participation in natural resource use, decision making and implementation have been undervalued.

In many cases, women’ knowledge and abilities are “simply” forgotten or neglected.

Women have to be involved in the decision making processes related to natural resource governance from grass root to national level.
Their ideas, interest and perceptions has to be included in policies, laws and programs that manages natural resources.

It will help the women to become more actively involved in the natural resource governance process.

Through targeted program like Odisha Livelihood Mission, Mission Shakti etc.

economic empowerment women should to achieved.

Equal access to resources for women with right to own and control should be advocated and targeted programs should be made for this.
It will also be required to sensitize women about their rights.

For instances, women need to know to own land and have land recorded in their name, its requirements for them to participate and voice their concern on decisions taken regarding the management of natural resources which may affect their interest.

Policies related to governance of Natural resources in our country are ‘weak’ from a gender perspective.
Thus, development plans need to be gender-sensitized and women must be included at all levels of decision making to address the disproportionate access to resources.

Generalization and mere quotas for women will not solve this gender bias.

Involvement and empowerment of women are necessary for initiatives to succeed in the natural resource sector.
The legal framework in the country provides some space to engage women in decision making at various levels for all natural resource laws-be it land, water, forests, decentralised 376 governance or biodiversity management.

But what is required is executive and policy level impetus to ensure that women are able to utilise the decision making power vested with them.
One way for the executive impetus could be capacity building/ training programs and legal literacy camps at the Gram Sabha level- to engage with women on the impact their participation in decision making processes would have on their lives and encourage them to be active in various committees functioning at the local level.

This would help to realise the vision of taking “women development” in our country to “women led development”.

References: 1.

2.

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4.

5.

Agarwal, B.
(2010) : Gender and Green Governance; The Political Economy of women’s presence within and beyond Community Forestry, Oxford University Press, New Delhi Datar Chhaya (1998) : Nurturing Nature; Women at the centre of natural and social regeneration, Earthcare books, Bombay Mumbi Sasha (2012): Raising women’s voice in the management, use and conservation of Natural Resources, Arise- A women’s development magazine published by Acfode, issue 52, April Shiva Vandana (1988) : Staying Alive; women, ecology and survival in India, Kali for Women, New Delhi Yapa Seuwandi (2012): Developing capacities to enhance participatory management of resources, Arise- A women’s development magazine published by Acfode, issue 52, April  377 SPEARHEADING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN RURAL INDIA: CONVERGENCE OF MAHATMA GANDHI NREGA IN ICDS Dr Girish P Swain Introduction: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is one of the most ambitious centrally sponsored flagship Schemes of the government.
The scheme nourishes an objective of all round development of under-six children and providing nutritional and health support to pregnant and lactating mothers.

This highly innovative and uniquely designed scheme provides for a package of six services viz.

supplementary nutrition, immunization, referral services, health check-up, pre- school non formal education and health and nutrition education.
Three among these six services namely immunization, health check-up and referral services are delivered through Public Health system.

The concept of providing a package of services is primarily based on the ground that the overall impact will be much intensive if the different services develop in an integrated manner.

The services under the ICDS scheme are provided at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) that has turned to be the focal point for convergence.
The ICDS is an engrossing at the same time self-selecting scheme and is open to all children below six years of age and pregnant & lactating Mothers, irrespective of their financial and social 378 background.
The scheme is implemented through the States/ UTs on a cost sharing basis in the ratio of 50:50 for supplementary nutrition (SNP) and 90:10 for other components except in the case of North Eastern States where the share of Central and State Government is in the ratio of 90:10 for all the components including SNP.1 The Need for Convergence: The Government is committed to repositioning the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) as a “vibrant Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre” to become the nodal point for health, nutrition and early learning.
Towards this objective, several efforts have been augmented for improvement and strengthening of ICDS scheme covering ‘programmatic, management and institutional’2 areas.

Whereas intensive efforts are being made for improving the service delivery at the Anganwadi centres, an estimated 2 lakh AWCs have no building to locate their activities.

There is therefore an urgent need to take up construction of buildings for these AWCs.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has issued guidelines stating that AWCs should be child friendly with all relevant infrastructures and the space should be at least 600 sq.

ft.

Although there is a scheme for construction of AWCs at a unit cost of @ Rs.

4.5 lakh per unit under ICDS, it was felt that this can best be done through convergence of schemes like Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.
Mahatma Gandhi NREGA: Empowerment and upliftment of human population is the basic foundation stone to any economy.

Indian population which is predominantly rural population accounts to 72.18% according to 2011 census.

In many areas such as purchasing power, infrastructure, connectivity, employment etc, are prone to seasonal fluctuations because rural economy is predominantly agricultural economy.

So it was imperative to improve the living condition and quality of life of the rural India.
In order to address 379 the issue this policy was conceptualized and subsequently formulated which came to be known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005 notified by Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India on 7th September 2005.

3This law which gives a legal guarantee of at least 100 days of wage employment to rural household whose adult members volunteers to do unskilled and manual work in a financial year.
MGNREGA has given the largest economic resources in our country.

4 It is the first employment act which works at the village level and has made its impact on international level.

The act provides the equal opportunities to both the genders of society to get benefit and to improve the standard of living.
The act provides the work to the beneficiaries within the five kilometers of village, it is a big initiative of this act because labours work in their local society and women labours finish their daily tasks in their respective homes then work under MGNREGA.

It provides them a chance to look after their homes, their children and also to become helping hand for their families.
MGNREGA is a big enlightenment in the rural India because it works for the eradication of rural poverty and gives an impetus to rural development.

5,6 AWCs and Convergence with Mahatma Gandhi NREGA: The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA 2005 aims to provide unskilled manual work to any rural household on demand and employing them on construction of productive assets.
The list of works that can be taken up has been included in Schedule I of the Act under which, construction of Anganwadi centres has been notified as an approved activity vide notification No.

S.O.
S.O.

27 54(E), dated 21st November, 2012. ln order to ensure focus of these works on creation of wage employment, there is a statutory limit on the cost of material component including the wages of the skilled and semiskilled workers at forty percent of the total project cost at the level of each Gram panchayat 380 for all GP executed works and at the District level for works taken up by other agencies.
In view of this provision, it would be possible to take up construction of AWCs under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.The focus of interventions in Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has been in the 2,534 most backward Blocks in the country.

Though these Blocks are located primarily in the central tribal belt, they are found in every state, identified through objective criteria.
Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has been undertaking systematic planning exercise in these areas to ensure that the assets identified match the requirements of the local people.

The process of Intensive Participatory Planning Exercise (IPPE) is undertaken every year between September and December with the participation of more than 2 lakh stakeholder youth in about 1 lakh Gram Panchayats in these Blocks.
These joint guidelines aim at building a systematic convergence between ICDS and Mahatma Gandhi NREGS so that every AWC in these 2,534 most backward Blocks is provided with own buildings.

Each year, there shall be at least 50,000 AWCs constructed under this convergence for the next 4 years, resulting in construction of 2 lakh AWCs by 2019.
MWCD, to begin with, would identify the location for 50000 AWCs in 2534 IPPE Blocks/ high burden districts of 8 World Bank assisted ISSNIP states besides Assam, Odisha and Telangana.

Broad Objectives of Convergence: Stressing on the objectives, the former Union Minister,Rural Development7 said that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has become an instrument for equitable growth, gender parity and social security.
It has effectively targeted the most marginalized sections of society, including women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Infact, some independent studies suggest that Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has a role to play in the increase in rural consumption expenditure, as shown by the NSSO 66th 381 round.
Recognizing the need for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA to converge with other Schemes to achieve livelihood security, the Ministry has brought out convergence guidelines, held discussions with State Governments and other Government of India Ministries etc.

The broad objectives as reckoned by Govt of India as stated below are supposed to ensure that:      Every AWC in these 2,534 Blocks is provided a pucca building under MGNREGA.
The objectives of pre-school, nutrition centre, semi- formal public health unit, community centre located in the heart of settlements are met with utmost sincerity.

Generation of human and social capital at the micro level is supported with fullest potential.

Assets in rural areas are created and infrastructure at village level is improved.

Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers are provided with Creche and other essential facilities.
Specifying Child Friendly Design in Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Works: The MWCD has reinforced guidelines stating that AWCs should be child friendly with all relevant infrastructures, separate sitting room for children, women, separate kitchen, store for storing food items and child friendly toilets and 600 sq.

ft space for playing of children (indoor and outdoor activities).
However, the designs/ specifications would basically adhere to guidelines issued by Ministry of Women & Child Development, GOI, time to time.

Local variations based on the geo climatic conditions and construction material will also follow instructions/ guidelines of Ministry of Women & Child Development, GOI.If any Panchayat prefers to make an AWC of a bigger dimension, that may also be allowed.

However, payment from Mahatma Gandhi NREGA will be restricted to 382 provisions given in these guidelines.
The building so constructed will be the property of the Gram Panchayat, which will be responsible for its proper maintenance.8 Impact and Performance of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA on Children: Both national and international evidence 9 has demonstrated that public works programmes increase household income and can thus benefit children in multiple ways.

Evidence has also highlighted that these programmes can have an unanticipated negative impact on children.
In the context of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, the outcome for children is mixed.

An increasing number of studies and evaluations demonstrate that Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has positive impact on children’s education, especially in terms of increased enrolment and retention, reduction in absenteeism, and increased expenditure on education at the household level.

Research studies also indicate a possible positive relation between employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA and improved educational attainments of children.
Conversely, it has also been noted that MGNREGA is leading to the withdrawal of children from school and to a higher rate of absenteeism among children, primarily because of children being substituted for mothers or elders in households for undertaking sibling care, cooking, and other domestic activities.
Preliminary data indicate that due to the increased burden of household work, Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has in some places also led to lower educational attainments, including poor academic results and increased repetition rate among children.

In addition to the above- mentioned negative effects, concerns have been voiced that girls’ education may be affected more adversely because traditional gender roles ascribe household and sibling-care responsibilities to girls.
Chronic poverty and livelihood shocks are the key factors that induce households to resort to child labour.

It has been noted that Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, by increasing the income of poor households, may have 383 discouraged poor families from sending children to work.

A longitudinal study by the Young Lives project found that the registration of a household member under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA reduced the likelihood of child labour for boys by 13.4 per cent and for girls by 8.2 per cent.
Convergence of MGNREGA in ICDS: The Odisha Experience The Government of Odisha has given a major thrust to construction of Anganwadi Centres through convergence of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA and Women and Child Department in the state.

This strategy led to the building of 232 Anganwadi centers through convergence during 2015-16.

In 2016-17, 1,165 Anganwadi centers have been completed through convergence as on 26th October 2016 which makes Odisha stand out as the pioneer in the entire country.
10 Implementation Stages and Achievements under Conveergence: As per the data furnished as above, during the financial year 2013-14, the approved amount for construction of an Anganwadi Centre (AWC) by the Government of India was 4.5 lakhs per unit, and this was somehow insufficient.
Hence, the Government of Odisha decided to increase the estimated cost to 5 Lakhs for each Anganwadi centre, out of which the share of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS was Rs.2.25 lakhs and the share of W&CD Department was Rs.2.75 lakhs.It was difficult to maintain the wage – material ratio of 60:40 at Gram Panchayat level during 2014-15 and 2015-16 period.
Hence, to expedite the construction of AWCs as well as to maintain the wage- material ratio, the State Government decided that the Panchayat Samitis (Block Panchayat) will be the implementing agency.
Wherever it was not possible to complete the building within the estimated cost of Rs.5 lakhs, it was instructed to book the balance amount under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.Currently in FY 2016-17, the unit cost of the AWC is Rs.7 lakhs, out of which, the share of Mahatma Gandhi 384 NREGS is Rs.5 lakhs while the share of W&CD is Rs.2 lakhs.

In the projects taken up during FY 2016-17, the construction of toilets and electrification of the building has been included in the estimate.
The model estimate was also communicated to all the districts.

Provision of child friendly green fencing was taken up separately through Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.The cost of water supply facilities and approach road for each Anganwadi Centre was met from the Central and State Finance Commission funds.For proper convergence of funds of both the schemes, two separate case records were opened.
One case record is for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in which the total estimate of the AWC buildings highlighting the activities of works to be carried through the programme were mentioned.

In the other case record, the estimate highlighting the W&CD Department activities of work were reflected.

Separate cash books are also being maintained.

Capacity building was taken up rigorously.


For this purpose, a total of 1,267 Gram Panchayat Technical Assistants (GPTA) engaged under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS across the state were provided five days residential training at Bhubaneswar during 2015-16 to boost their skills and abilities on model estimations, simplification of measurement process, work planning etc.

The outcome of the training was noticeable in their work progress and quick measurement which ensured timely payment of wages.
This strengthens the technical knowledge base of the technical personnel engaged at GP level.

To accelerate the whole process and keep a vigilant eye on the progress, a three-tier monitoring mechanism has been adopted; at State Level, District Level, and Block Level.At the State level, the Principal Secretary and the Director, Special Projects review the progress of the AWC buildings fortnightly through video conferencing.

The same is also being monitored through WhatsApp group created for this purpose.
Apart from 385 this, officers of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS Odisha Society have been specially entrusted under the supervision of Additional Secretary, Mahatma Gandhi NREGS to monitor the progress on daily basis and report the same to Director, Special projects regularly.

The State Level Monitoring team has also provided technical guidance and other necessary tips to field functionaries to complete the project on time without compromising on the quality.
District Level & Block Level: Mahatma Gandhi NREGS Co-coordinators under the supervision of Project Directors monitor the progress at the District Level.

Similarly, the Block Development Officers (BDO) monitors the whole process at the Block Level which is the primary implementing agency.

This initiative ensures a pucca building for AWCs which earlier used to function out of incomplete buildings or open space.

This has also resulted in increased attendance of children in AWCs.
More families are now keen to send their children to AWC, which can be seen as the first step towards educating their child.
As per a posting by Press Information Bureau11 in December 2017,there are 14 lakh sanctioned Anganwadi Centres against which 13.56 lakhs are operational under ICDS Scheme in the country as on 30.9.2017.Under the Anganwadi Services, to be authenticated 2 lakh new Anganwadi Buildings are planned for construction under convergence with Mahatma Gandhi NREGS upto 30.11.2018 @ 1 lakh Anganwadis per year.

Central share for construction of AWC building is Rs.1 lakh per AWC building for all States/UTs.
The amount for construction of Anganwadi buildings @ Rs.1 lac per Anganwadi building as central share is reimbursed to States/UTs on completion of construction work.In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between MWCD and M/s Vedanta on 21st September, 2015 for construction of the 4000 Anganwadi Centre buildings through its own resources as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) primarily in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, 386 Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and UttarPradesh.
The Stipulated Priorities Under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA: AWCs Focused Odisha has planned to achieve 9.58 crore person days during 2018-19 focusing on the following priorities12 that:-          Convergence needs to be achieved in letter and spirit and at least 30% expenditure should be incurred through convergence.
Focus on convergence with Rural Housing providing unskilled wages along with construction of Cattle shed, Goat shelter, Poultry shed, Vermi/ NADEP composting and IHHL, wherever not covered under Swachh Bharat Mission Convergence with Women & Child Development Department for construction of at least 3000 Anganwadi Centres and commitment to provide pucca AWC to all centres operationalised under W&CD Deptt.

Common infrastructure for NRLM compliant SHGs – 177 GPLF Buildings planned.
GP Bhawan and Village Haat for newly created 590 GPs in convergence with CFC/SFC Convergence with State Scheme ‘UPANTA’ to connect 142 unconnected villages.

Convergence with Forest, Water Resources, Agriculture (Watershed and Horticulture), ST, SC & Minority Development and other Line Departments for Plantation and Agriculture and Allied Activities (AAA) works.

Focus on Construction of Playground in every Gram Panchayat.q Focus on 100% timely payment of wages.

Focus on 100% Geo-tagging of all assets.


387   Focus on bringing all active workers on Aadhar Based Payment System (ABPS) platform.

To take up at least 65% of the no.

of works under Category- B works (Individual assets forq weaker section HHs).
Social Audit through OSSAAT as per auditing standards in all GPs Rationale and Roadmap for Convergence: Mahatma Gandhi NREGA aims at enhancing livelihood security by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment, in a financial year, to every rural household whose adult members volunteer is willing to do unskilled manual work.

The Act covered 200 districts in its first phase, implemented on February 2, 2006, and was extended to 130 additional districts in 2007-2008.
The potential of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA spans a range of possibilities.

The primary objective of this Act is to augment wage employment.

The choice of work suggested in the Act address causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation and soil erosion, to maintain the process of employment generation on a sustainable basis.
The Act acts as a significant vehicle for strengthening decentralization and deepening processes of democracy by authorizing local governance bodies, that is, the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Substantial public investments are being made for strengthening rural economy and livelihood base of the poor, especially the marginalized groups like SC/STs, women and PH.

To effectively address the issue of poverty alleviation, there is a need to optimize efforts through inter-sectoral approaches.
The convergence of different programmes like: Watershed Programmes, National Agriculture Development Programme (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana), National Horticulture Mission, Scheme of Artificial Recharge of Ground Water through Dug well, BRGF, with Mahatma Gandhi NREGA will enable better planning and effective investments in rural areas.

This convergence will bring synergies between different 388 government programmes/schemes in terms of planning, process and implementation.
This will also facilitate sustainable development.

Convergence of funds from other sources can help in creation of durable assets.

For instance, funds available with PRIs from other sources such as the National Finance Commission, State Finance Commission, State Departments and other Central or Centrally Sponsored Schemes can be dovetailed with other rural development funds for the construction of durable community assets under the works permissible.
However, core funds of nay schemes should not be used as substitute resources by different departments and agencies for their own activities.

Overarching Impacts of Convergence: Along with prioritization of AWC construction Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has achieved broad outcome level indicators13 as categorized below under    v Enhancement of Social Capital: Collective planning and implementation among different stakeholders will enhance social capital.

This will improve management and work output.


Growth in Physical Capital: The process will help in creating durable assets and will also improve land productivity.

Achieving Eco-Synergy: Natural resource base regeneration through different Activities such as afforestation, drought proofing, flood proofing, and watershed will lead to effective use of Resources.

Reducing Adversities of Climate Change: NREGA helps in addressing issues such as CO2 emissions and industrial pollution and stemming.
389 v v v Boosting Economic Avenues: Income opportunities, savings and investments may be generated through activities such as pisciculture.

Augmenting Democratic Processes: Convergence awareness and planning at the grassroots level will lead to greater ownership of projects.
Synchronizing Sustainable Development: Convergence efforts through creation of durable assets, rural connectivity, productivity enhancement and capacity development lead to sustainable development CONCLUSION SCOPE FOR FURTHERING STEPS FOR CONVERGENCE In spite of the expansion of ICDS, evaluation studies done by FORCE14 indicate that ICDS reaches out to 30% of the children.

Children from remote scattered hamlets and children living in new slum clusters are often within ambit of ICDS services.
Malnutrition has decreased only marginally from 47% in 1998-99 to 46% in 2005-06, as was revealed in the National Family Health Survey III (2006).

The Supreme Court, in its order dated 29.04.2004 directed the Government of India to increase the number of AWC to cover 14 lakhs habitations.

Efforts are being made to universalize ICDS so that a functional AWC exists in every settlement and full coverage of children is ensured.
In spite of some institutional bottlenecks, the achievements under AWCs have been increasing phenomenally because of striking convergence.

Noteworthy among them is the progressive decline in infant and child mortality, and the spread of awareness about immunization, and health and nutrition education.
Several studies put forth the ground realties and field situation, and act as pointers to show the path which needs to be taken for achieving expected outcomes towards revamping the rural health scenario pertaining to women and children.

390 References: 1.

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Implementation of ICDS Scheme: PrintRelease, Press Information Bureau ,Government of India, Ministry of Women and Child Development source: http://www.pib.nic.in Guidelines for construction of Anganwadi Centers under MGNREGS in convergence with ICDS , source:http://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/ women-and-child-developmen Sheikh Irshad Ahmad, (2012); Mgnrega and its draw backs in j&k 2010.International journal of research in commerce economics & management.
Volume, No.

2, issue No.

3, 158-161.

Dreze, J, N Dey and R Khera.

“Employment Guarantee Act: A primer”, National Book Trust:New Delhi,2008.

Khera, R. and Nayak, N. (2009).

“Women workers and perceptions of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,” Economic and Political Weekly, 44(43), 49-57.

Ghosh,M, Inclusive growth and rural poverty in India: Policy implication for eleventh plan.

Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics.
2010; 65(3), 552-561 Ramesh,J, message, http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in /files /file /convergence Guidelines-construction-anganwadi-centers-under-mgnregs- convergence-icds-scheme source:http://wcd.nic.in/act https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/sites/default/files/ documents https://mgnregasuccess.wordpress.com/2018/05/06/mgnrega-a-big- boost-to-construction-ofAWC Press Release, Ministry of Women and Child Development, New Anganwadi buildings being constructed under convergencehttp:// pib.nic.in/Page.aspx?PRID=1514656 Empowered Committee meeting State Plan of Action for Rural Development, FY 2018-19 Odisha,https://rural.nic.in/sites/default/ files/Odisha_Annualactionplan.pdf Report on Convergence Initiatives in India, An Overview, http:// www.nrcddp.org/resources_data Ali, Ommar: Ara, Bhat Nighat, Contribution of Anganwadi centers in promoting health awareness and preparedness for primary schooling: an evaluative study, International Journal of Basic and Advance Research, http://kpress.in/assets/uploads/doc/317.pdf 391  ABOUT THE AUTHORS: 1.
2.

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S M Vijayanand, IAS (Retd) is the former Secretary in Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Rural Development, Govt.

of India.

He also served as the Chief Secretary, Govt of Kerala.

He is one of the pioneers of Kerala’s democratic decentralization initiatives and people’s planning process.

He had played a key role in devolution of power to the local government institutions, besides serving as Member Secretary of the Sen Committee on democratic decentralization.
Navaneeta Rath is an eminent academician and researcher of international repute.

At present, she is working as the Professor of PG Department of Sociology, Utkal University, Odisha, holding the additional charge of Director, School of Women Studies.

She obtained her Ph.D from Utkal University and her post doctoral degree from the University of Wuppertal, Germany.
She has 28 years of teaching experience and long term association with international agencies like World Bank, ILO, and European Commission for research works.

Amita Kumari Patra did her Post Graduation and M.phil in Sociology from Utkal University.

At present, she is serving as the Asst Director, at SIRD & PR, Odisha and is associated with UN Women, UNICEF as the nodal officer of SIRD&PR.

She has been acclaimed as a national level trainer.

Her specialization includes Governance and Gender Studies.

4.
4.

Manasi Pradhan has earlier served as the Reader & Head in the Department of Home Science, Priyadarshini Mahila Mahavidyalay , Rourkela.

Her specialization is in Gender, Marriage and Family relationship and Food and Nutrition.

She used to facilitate sessions on Community Health and Development and Food &Nutrition at IGNOU in Rourkela.

392 5.

6.

7.

8.
392 5.

6.

7.

8.

Saroj Kumar Dash presently working as the Joint Director, SIRD & PR, Odisha has wide experience in conducting training and he has noteworthy contributions to developmental journals.

A nationally reckoned trainer and resource person, Shri Dash has earlier served in frontline agencies like CAPART (MoRD,Govt of India), UNDP and NIRD & PR.

Kalyani Sarangi, presently working as a Lecturer & Head, Dept.
of Logic & Philosophy, Gop College, Puri has obtained her M.Phil & Ph.D from Utkal University and has published five books to her credit and contributed widely in different national and international seminars.

Sujata Pati, an eminent academician and economist, having her PhD degree from Utkal University, at present serves as the Joint Director of Madhusudan Das Regional Acadeny of Financial Management, Odisha.

She has been acclaimed as an authority on Gender Budgeting.
Jayanta Choudhury presently works as Asst Professor, Department of Rural Studies and Coordinator, Centre for Rural Studies, Tripura University, He has also served at State Institute of Rural Development, Tripura for a period of five years.

9.

Moutoshi Deb, Research scholar of Rural Studies, Tripura University, India, is presently engaged as State Consultant, National Tobacco Control Programme, Tripura.

Her area of research is mainly women and gender perspective 10.
Namrata Chada, an illustrious social activist, has served two times as the member of Odisha State Commission for Women.

A regular panelist in TV discussions on women’s issues, Ms Chada is a member of State Legal Service Authority and also a member, Juvenile Justice Board, Khordha.

11.

Sucharita Pujari, a Researcher and reputed Academician with a background in Sociology and Population Studies.

393 She is currently working as Asst Professor at NIRD & PR, Hyderabad.
As a researcher, Dr Pujari has been associated with major surveys like National family Health Survey (NFHS), Reproductive and child Health Survey (RCH-DLHS) etc.

12.

Mainak Sarkar, a post graduate in Rural Management has more than 15 years of experience in working in the development sector including Government, UN organizations, Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) and NGOs.

He has worked extensively in the field of Governance and Livelihood.

14.

13.
14.

13.

Anuradha Mohanty, a noted gender activist, at present, serves as the Executive Director of PECUC and Member of Juvenile Justice Board, Khordha and Nayagarh.

She has been honoured for her contribution to the social sector.

Swarnamayee Tripathy an eminent author in the area of gender issues has obtained her Post Graduation from JNU, M.Phil from Delhi University and PhD from Utkal University.

With experience of 32 years in academics, she at present is the Professor in the PG Dept.
of Public Administration at Utkal University.

15.

Debabrata Pani a Ph.D in Law from Utkal University, started his professional career as a Lecturer in Law at North Odisha University, Baripada from 2002 to 2013 and is presently working as Legal Manager at MGNREGS Odisha Society, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Govt of Odisha.
He has keen interest in the Human Rights related issues and has written more than 22 articles on different issues of law, published in different national and international publications simultaneously participated and presented many papers in national and international seminars as well.

16.

Amrita Patel, a noted researcher on issues related to girls and women has taught at the School of Women’s Studies, Utkal University.

She has obtained her PhD degree from Utkal University, Odisha.
Presently, she is working 394 17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22. as the State Project Coordinator, SPMU under the Department of WCD and Mission Shakti, Govt of Odisha Jharana Swain, presently working as Principal Counsellor, Family Court, Bhubaneswar has obtained her PhD degree in Sociology and has about 20 years experience in teaching & training.
Pramila Prava Patnaik, Senior Research Officer of Institute of Social Sciences, Regional Office, Bhubaneswar has served as a Lecturer in Economics in different colleges of Odisha and also as Consultant in State Institute of Rural Development, Odisha.

Having PhD in Economics, she has authored books on basic services of municipal bodies and issues of land alienation in several districts of Odisha.
Sunanda Kanungo, an expert in participatory training process, at present, serves as a State Level Trainer at SIRD & PR, Odisha.

She has more than 30 years of experience in leading NGO.

Chhandarani Mohanty, currently working as Asst Director cum Under Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti, Govt of Odisha.

She has widely served various districts of Odisha and excelled in implementation of the flagship programme of ICDS.
Sanghamitra Jena did her Post Graduation in Sociology from JNU and M.Phil from Utkal University.

At present, pursuing her PhD, Ms Jena has been teaching in leading colleges of Odisha since more than twenty years.
Sourav Bhattacharjee, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF is an accredited expert in Maternal & Child Nutrition, with 15 years of progressive multi sectoral experience in influencing policies, driving implementation, conducting monitoring and evaluation of large scale programmes for UNICEF, CARE and Government agencies.

395 23.

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Sonali Sinha having Masters in Sociology with a PG Diploma in Public Health and Nutrition has been associated with major flagship programs like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Health Mission (NHM) and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).

Parikshit Sahu, presently is working as faculty in Rural Economics, SIRD& PR, Odisha.
He has obtained his PhD in Analytical and Applied Economics from Utkal University on the topic ‘Social Sector Development in Odisha’.

Along with contributing to journals of national and international fame, he also acts as a panelist in Doordarshan besides writing poetry and features.
Jyotirmayee Tudu, an Assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration at Utkal University, formerly worked in Odisha Administrative Service and has submitted her Ph.D thesis at JNU on ‘Women Negotiating Citizenship and SHG Federations in Odisha”.

Subrat Kumar Mishra, currently working as Asst Director at SIRD & PR, Odisha, has done his Masters in Rural Managment from Shantiniketan and Ph.D in Analytical and Applied Economics from Utkal University .
He has conducted an action research project in collaboration with NIRD&PR and contributed to national and international journals.

Sanjoy Patnaik, a reputed developmental protagonist has also served as the Country Programme Head of Landessa, India and Founder Member of RCDC, a renowned NGO of Odisha.

Sonali Mohapatra is currently working as the Programme Manager in Foundation for Ecological Security.
A post graduate in Mass Communication from IIMC and a Ph.D from School of Women Studies, Utkal University, she has 18 years of experience in development sector.

396 29.

Swapnashree Sarangi has obtained her Masters in Social Work from TISS, Mumbai and has served more than 20 years in Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) contributing to several research projects .

30.

Girish Prasad Swain, at present, is working as the Consultant (CB & Training) under RGSA programme at SIRD & PR, Odisha.
He has obtained his PhD in Political Science from Utkal University.

He also worked as the Govt Partnership Officer in the Integrated Nutrition and Health Programme of Care-India.
 397 ABBREVIATIONS AAA ABNHPM ABPS ADS AFHC AIDS AISHE ANM ASDP ASHA ATI ATMA AWC AWW BBBP BBC BC BCC BDO BKRY BLCP BMC BMI BPL BRGF BSKY BSSY CAA Agriculture and Allied Activities Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Aadhaar based payment system Area Development Society Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome All India Survey on Higher Education Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery Ajeevika Skill Development Programme Accredited Social Health Activist Administrative Training Institute Agricultural Technology Management Agency Anganwadi Centre Anganwadi Worker Beti Bachao Beti Padhao British Broadcasting Corporation Before Christ Behaviour Change Communication Block Development Officer Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana Block Level Child Protection Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Body Mass Index Below Poverty Line Backward Regions Grant Fund Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana Biju Sishu Suraksha Yojana Constitutional Amendment Act 398 CAGR CAMPA CBO CCI CDPO CDS CEDAW CEO CFC CFR CHC CIC CID CLF CNCP CNTA CrPC Compound Annual Growth Rate Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority Fund Community Based Organisation Child Care Institution Child Development Project Officer Community Development Society Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women Chief Executive Officer Central Finance Commission Community Forest Rights Community Health Centre Crisis Intervention Centre Criminal Investigation Department Cluster Level Forum Child in Need of Care and Protection Chotta Nagpur Tenancy Act Criminal Procedure Code C-section Caesarean section CSR CSS CSW CWC DAWN DAY-NRLM DCMO DCPS Corporate Social Responsibility Central Sponsored Scheme Commission on the Status of Women Child Welfare Committee Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission District Chief Medical Officer District Child Protection Society 399 DDU-GKY Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana DG DHS DIR DLC DM DMF DPEP
 DWCD ECD Director General Demographic Health Survey Domestic Incident Report District Level Committee District Magistrate District Mineral Fund District Primary Education Programme Department of Women and Child Development Early Childhood Development ECOSOC Economic and Social Council EFA EPVG ER EWR FAO FGD FIR FNHW FRA FRC Education For All Extremely Poor and Vulnerable Group Elected Representative Elected Women Representative Food and Agriculture Organisation Focus Group Discussion First Information Report Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH Forest Rights Act Forest Rights Committee FRMF/ML FS & CW Final Report Mistake of Fact / Mistake of Law Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare FY GAD GB GBC GDI Financial Year Gender And Development Gender Budget Gender Budget Cell Gender Development Index 400 GDP GEM GER GIH GII GKS GOI GP GPDP GPLF GPLF GPTA GSDP GVA H&FW HH HIV HSA HSAA HSC HUF HYV IANS IAP Gross Domestic Product Gender Evaluation Methodology Gross Enrolment Ratio Global Intellectual Hegemony Gender Inequality Index Gaon Kalyan Samiti Government of India Gram Panchayat Gram Panchayat Development Plan Gram Panchayat Level Federation Gram Panchyaat Level Forum Gram Panchayat Technical Assistant Gross state Domestic Product Gross Value Added Health & Family Welfare Household Human Immunodeficiency Virus Hindu Succession Act Hindu Succession Amendment Act Health Science Centre Hindu Undivided Family High Yield Variety Indo Asian News Service Integrated Action Plan IAHTU Integrated Anti Human Trafficking Unit ICDS ICPS IEC IFA Integrated Child Development Services Integrated Child Protection Scheme Information, Education and Communication Iron and Folic Acid 401 IG IGMSY IHHL IMAGES IMF IMR INSTRAW IPC IPC IPPE IPV IQ IT ITDA IUCAW IUGR IYCF JC JSSK JSSY JSY KCC KVIC KVK LBW LLINS Inspector General Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahayog Yojana Individual Household Latrine International Men and Gender Equality Survey International Monetary Fund Infant Mortality Rate International
 Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women Inter Personal Communication Indian Penal Code Integrated Participatory Planning Exercise Intimate Partner Violence Intelligence Quotient Information Technology Integrated Tribal Development Agency Investigative Units on Crimes against Women Intra Uterine Growth Retardation Infant and Young Child Feeding Jaanch Committee Janani Sishu Suraksha Karyakram Janani Sishu Suraksha Yojana Janani Suraksha Yojana Kishan Credit Card Khadi and Village Industries Commission Krishi Vigyan Kendra Low Birth Weight Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets M E School Middle English School MC Monitoring Committee 402 MCP Card Mother and Child Protection Card MDGs MDM MGNREGA MICH MKSP MMR MoRD MoTA MSME MUAC MWCD NABARD NAP NCLP NCRB NCW NEP NER NFHS NGO NHED NHG NHS NIPCCD NIPFP NMBS Millennium Development Goals Mid Day Meal Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Mahila Kishan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana Maternal Mortality Rate Ministry of Rural Development Ministry of Tribal Affairs Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Mid Upper Arm Circumference Ministry of Women and Child Development National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development National Afforestation Programme National Child Labour Project National Crime Records Bureau National Commission for Women New Economic Policy Net Enrolment Ratio National Family Health Survey Non Government Organisation Nutrition and Health Education Neighbourhood Group National Health Service National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development National Institute of Public Finance and Policy National Maternity Benefit Scheme 403 NMEW NOAPS NPA National Mission for Empowerment of Women Natinal Old Age Pension Scheme Non Performing Asset NPE - 1986 National Policy on Education NREGA NRHM NRLM NSAP NSCFDC NSSO NTFP OBC OLM ONAP OOP OPRM OSSAAT OSTF P&L P.O.W.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act National Rural Health Mission National Rural Livelihood Mission National Social Assistance Programme National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation National Sample Survey Office Non Timber Forest Produce Other Backward Caste Odisha Livelihoods Mission Odisha Nutrition Action Plan Out of Pocket Odisha Poverty Reduction Mission Odisha Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency Odisha State Treatment Fund Pregnant and Lactating Prisoner Of War PC & PNDT Act Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 PDS PECUC PESA PGNs PhD PIA Public Distribution System People's Cultural Centre Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Practical Gender Needs Doctor of Philosophy Project Implementing Agency 404 PIL PIP PLCP PMAY PMGSY PMJDY PMJJBY PMKVY PMMVY PMSBY PMSMA PMUY POA PRI PS PSU PTG PWDVA RBI RBMRS RD REGS RKSK RMK Public Interest Litigation Participatory Identification of the Poor Panchayat Level Child Protection Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Pradhan Mantri Jan -Dhan Yojana Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Plan of Action Panchayati Raj Institution Police Station Public Sector Undertaking Primitive Tribal Group Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 Reserve Bank of India Rural Building Maintenance and Renovation Scheme Rural Development Rural Employment Guaranteee Scheme Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram Rashtriya Mahila Kosh RMNCH+A RMSA RSBY Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana 405 RSETI RTE RWS S&ME SAARC SAG SAPAP SAPs SBCC Rural Self Employment Training Institute Right to Education Rural Water and Sanitation School and Mass Education South Asian Association Cooperation Scheme for Adolescent Girls for Regional
 South Asia Poverty Alleviation Project Structurally Adjustment Programmes Social Behaviour Change Communication SBM (G) Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) SC SC SDGs SDLC SFC SGNs SHG SHPI Scheduled Caste Sub Centre Sustainable Development Goals Sub Division Level Committee State Finance Commission Strategic Gender Needs Self Help Group Self Help Promoting Institution SIAEVAC South Asian Initiative to End Violence Against Children SMC SME SNP SOP SP SPTA SRHR SRLC SSA School Management Committee Smart Manufacturing Event Supplementary Nutrition Programme Standard Operating Procedure Service Provider Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Sex Ratio of the Last Child Sarva Siksha Abhiyan 406 ST STD STEP SVEP TA THR TLM TPA TPDS Scheduled Tribe Sexually Transmitted Disease Support Programme for Women to Training and Employment Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme Total Allocation Take Home Rations Teaching - Learning Material Third Party Administration Targeted Public Distribution System TT vaccination Tetanus Toxoid vaccination U5 UEE UHC UK UN UNDP UNESCO UNFPA UNGA UNICEF UNIFEM UNO UOI US USA UT VAW Under 5 Universalization of Eelementary Education Universal Health Coverage United Kingdom United Nations United Nations Development Programme United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation United Nations Population Fund (formerly United Nations Fund for Population Activities) United Nations General Assembly United Nations Children's Fund United Nations Development Fund for Women United Nations Organisation Union of India United States United States of America Union Territory Violence Against Women 407 VHND VHSNC VHSND VLCP W&CD WAD WCD Village Health Nutrition Day Village Health Sanitation Nutrition Committee Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Day Village Level Child Protection Women and Child Development Department Women and Development Women and Child Development WCD&MS Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti WCP
 WEF WHA WHO WID WIFS WPR Women Centric Programme World Economic Forum World Health Assembly World Health Organisation Women in Development Weekly Iron and Folic acid Supplementation Worker Population Ratio  408 409