Government Response and Schemes by Government | Indian Society for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Government Response

• Committees on the status of women in India (CSWI) – This was set up in a response to United Nation’s general assembly Declaration of Elimination of Discrimination Against Women 1967. It submitted its report in 1974, which stressed the fact that poor are not a homogenous group & highlighted the unequal burden of poverty on women.
• Draft National Plan of Action for Women – GoI has drawn up a national plan based on CSWI report. The plan accords priority to the need of concrete action in the areas of education, health, welfare and employment with special reference to weaker section of society especially women.
• It was only in 1980s that women were recognized as a separate group and a separate chapter viz “Women and Development” was included in the 6th Plan Document (1980-1985) for the first time. Then subsequently it was included in the 5 year plans to ensure that fruits of development & benefits of Govt. programs do reach women.
• National Commission for women 1991 – The National Commission for Women was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 to:
  1. Protect and promote the interest and safeguard the right of women.
  2. Study all matters related to constitutional and legal safeguards provided for women, to review existing legislation & suggest amendments if necessary.
  3. Look into the complaints and take notice of the cases involving deprivation of women & provide support legal or otherwise to helpless and needy women.
  4. It recommended the Govt. to play an active role by incorporating a component of organizing in all schemes, project etc for the poor, to promote organization of women at a broader level.

• Gender Budgeting – This concept was first introduced in Australia in mid 1980s & India incorporated this in its budget since 2005-06. It is not an accounting exercise but an ongoing process of keeping a gender perspective in policy/ program formulation, its implementation and involves dissection of the Government budgets to establish its gender differential impacts and to ensure that gender commitments are translated in to budgetary commitments.