Lok Sabha Question No. 3017 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-06
Subject: Property Ownership to Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Parvesh Sahib Singh, Rebati Tripura

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.3017

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2019

## PROPERTY OWNERSHIP TO WOMEN

## 3017.  SHRI PARVESH SAHIB SINGH VERMA: SHRI REBATI TRIPURA:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps for economic empowerment of women in India and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of female labour force participation along with share of women in total ownership of property and their unemployment rate in India;
- (c) the list  of  schemes and programs undertaken by the Government for overall socio-political-economic  development  of  women  and  to  usher  in  women  led growth;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  records  of  single  women  having  ownership  of land, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the efforts to ensure control and access of single women over land?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (c) : Government has taken several initiatives through schematic and legislative interventions for economic empowerment and over all socio-political and economic development of women. Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government. Government has taken various steps for generating employment in the country like encouraging private sector of economy and through schemes such as Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee  Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Deendayal Antodaya YojanaNational Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAYNULM), Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana  -  National  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAYNRLM), Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY) sub-schemes under DAY-NRLM, Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY), Pradhan Mantri Mudra  Yojana  (PMMY),  National  Career  Service  (NCS) Project, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

For  ensuring  financial  inclusion  of  the  poorest  of  the  poor,  under  Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, over 375.5 million bank accounts have been opened in the last  five  years,  and  majority  of  the  beneficiaries,  that  is,  over  53.3%  are  women. Under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, collateral free loans are provided for promoting promote women entrepreneurs.  Over  145 million  women  constituting  over  69% of  the  beneficiaries, entrepreneurship. Similarly, the Stand Up India scheme aims to entrepreneurship among those who are underserved, including benefitted jointly from Mudra Yojana and Stand Up India in the last four years.

As  per  Census  2011,  the  work  participation  rate  for  women  is  25.51%  as compared to 25.63% in 2001. As per 5 th Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (2015-16)  conducted  by  Labour  Bureau  by  adopting  Usual  Principal  &  Subsidiary Status (UPSS) Approach, the Worker Population Rate (WPR) for women is 30.2% in rural areas and 14.8% in urban areas.

In addition, to improve women's participation in the labour force, a number of protective  provisions  have  been  incorporated  in  various  labour  laws  for  creating congenial work environment for women workers. These include child care centres, time-off for feeding children, enhancement in paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, provisions for mandatory crèche facility in the establishments having 50 or more employees, permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures, etc. 'The Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013', has been enacted. The Act covers all women, irrespective of their age or employment status and provides protection against sexual harassment at all workplaces; both in public and private sector, whether organised or unorganised.

Further, capacity building and training programmes have been organised for training of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) in Panchayats to empower them to govern their villages effectively and develop into 'Grassroot' changemakers.

(d) to (e) :       With regard to records of single women having ownership of land, it is to be stated that as per Seventh Schedule, 'land, that is to say, right in or over land' is a  'State'  subject under  the  Constitution,  and  as  such  the  primary  responsibility  lies with  the State Governments  and  Union  Territory  Administrations  to  maintain  such records.

- *****