NATIONAL POLICY FOR EMPOWERMENT OF
WOMEN
2001
Ministry of Women and Child
Development
Women empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual,
political, social or economic strength of women. It often
involves the empowered developing confidence in their own
capacities.
GOALS OF THE POLICY
 Advancement, development and empowerment of women
in all spheres of life.
 Encourage active participation of all stake holders.
PUBLIC GOOD IN POLICY
• Supporting Positive economic
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and social policies.
Ensuring fundamental and
human rights.
Equal access to participation
and decision making.
Strengthening legal systems.
Mainstreaming
a
gender
perspective and Changing
societal attitudes.
Elimination of discrimination.
Building and strengthening
partnerships with civil society.
Stakeholders'
•In Narrow Perspective: Our Women
Folk only
•In Broader Perspective: every one
of us
Reason: can we develop ourselves
while keeping our other half
subordinate and deprived of basic
rights ?
A society cannot develop to its full
potential until half of its population is
also developed and has full say in
every walk of our life.
ELEMENTS OF THE POLICY
Poverty
Action
Plan
Health
Decision
Making
Education
Women
Empowerment
Judicial
Reforms
Nutrition
Fighting
Violence
Housing
IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
• Various proposals mooted are
 Institutional Mechanisms
a. National and State Councils for Women
b. National and State Resource Centres
c. Self-Help Groups
 Legislative Mechanisms.
 Gender Sensitization.
 Resource Management
SUCCESSES ACHIEVED
• Legislative Actions
a. Protection of women from
Domestic violence act,2005
b. Hindu marriage (amendment) act
• Various schemes being introduced
and implemented.( Sabla scheme,
IGMSY etc.)
• Concept of GENDER BUDGETING
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO……
• National and State councils for women still on
paper.
• National and State resource centers not
functioning.
• Major legislative affirmative action of Women
Reservation Bill still pending in Parliament.
• Not much participation of Private sector .
• Gender Sensitization not being effectively done.
MERITS OF
THE POLICY
• Emphasize
economic
empowerment of women.
• Prioritizes women education,
health
and sanitation
• Recognizes
the
special
needs of weaker sections,
SC/ST, minorities etc.
• Comprehensively lists the
action plan and institutional
mechanisms needed.
• Prescribes measures to
achieve gender sensitization .
DEMERITS
Inadequate fund in gender budgeting
Finding targets
Gender Auditing
Resource management
marketing
in human and
No Social security in informal sectors, EPZ,
SEZ
Developed Countries like Euro Zone and USA
Civil and political Rights
Economic and Social Rights
Security of women
Middle Eastern Countries
Economic and Social Rights
Civil and political Rights
Security of women
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW)
Convention on preventing and combating
violence against women and domestic violence
Convention on the Political Rights of Women
Maputo Protocol
ALTERNATE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Improvised and well-coordinated data collection system required to
strengthen Gender Auditing, Gender Budgeting and Satellite
Accounting.

Greater fund allocation
implementation.

Future policy making requires identification of diverse and deeprooted causes behind poverty, female foeticide, dropout issue, etc.

Measures to promote Awareness Building, Gender Equality and
Gender Equity highly recommended, along with increased and
effective government intervention to mitigate higher degree of evil
practises.
and
emphasis
on
decentralised
Conclusion
 Current policy
elaborate.
quite
 Need of the hour – More
Inclusive and Integrated
Policy for Economic,
Social
and
Political
Empowerment
of
Women.
 Effective implementation
at
the
grassroots
needed
to
ensure
improvements in current
living status of women.
THANK YOU