Relevance: GS Paper 1 & 2 (Development & Welfare)
Source:
Introduction
Poverty is particularly acute for women living in rural households. Women’s poverty is directly related to the absence of economic opportunities and autonomy. Goal of inclusive and sustainable development cannot be reached without addressing rural women’s diverse needs.
Challenges that rural women face
- POOR EDUCATION: Major attribute of rural women is their low level of Educational attainment. Rural women often suffer from high illiteracy rates and high drop-out rates from schools. Lack of education impedes their participation in other development processes of the country.
- DIGITAL LITERACY: Poor access to Information Technology (IT) by rural women intensifies existing inequalities between women and men and also creates new forms of inequalities in education and health. This also leads to emergence of new forms of violence against women and widen the existing gender digital divide.
- POOR ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGIES: Access to women friendly technologies/implements and services by the government schemes/agricultural extension is poor. The studies carried out so far in the field of agriculture indicate that despite the key role of women in crop husbandry, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and post-harvest technology, those in charge of formulating packages of technologies, services and public policies for rural areas have often tended to neglect the productive role of women.
- POOR LIVELIHOODS OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE AGRICULTURE: Agriculture is seen as subsistence strategy for rural women’s livelihoods. With agriculture becoming a non- profitable proposition for economic sustenance of rural households, importance of non-farm activities for income generation activities is growing. Women are rarely involved in the backward and forward production linkages with agriculture. Poor linkages between the non-farm activities and farm activities further hampers opportunities for value addition & market linkages for economic empowerment /livelihoods promotion of women.
- LACK OF SKILLS: While rural women are involved in micro/small enterprises or manufacturing, most training programmes hardly have any female participation. There is often less involvement of women in opportunities related to construction, trade, transport, storage, and services due to lack of skills.
- VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE: Rural women are affected differently, and often more severely by climate change and its associated natural disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclones and storms. The effect of climate change drives rural women into dangerous situations/risks and vulnerabilities.
Government efforts
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Yojana (DAY- NRLM): Ajeevika is a major project of Ministry of Rural Development. It focuses on rural women and aims to achieve universal social mobilization by involving rural women. At least one woman member from each identified poor rural household, is to be brought under the Self Help Group (SHG) network in a time bound manner.
- Elected Women Representative (EWRs): Ministry of Women & Child Development has launched an extensive training programme with an objective of empowering Elected Women Representative (EWRs) and to help them assume the leadership roles expected of them and guide their villages for a more prosperous future.
- Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK): Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK), of Ministry of Women & Child Development, extends microcredit to the women in the informal sector through a client friendly, without collateral and in a hasslefree manner for income generation activities. RMK has taken a number of promotional measures to popularize the concept of micro financing, enterprise development, thrift and credit, formation and strengthening of Women-SHGs through intermediary organizations.
- Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK): In order to support rural women and provide them with convergent support, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India approved a new scheme namely Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) as a sub scheme under the Umbrella Scheme of Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women for implementation during 2017-18 upto 2019-20 to empower rural women through community participation. MSK Scheme is envisaged to provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.
- College Student Volunteers: Community engagement through College Student Volunteers is envisioned in 115 most backward districts as part of the MSK Block level initiatives. Student volunteers will play an instrumental role in awareness generation regarding various important government schemes/ programmes as well as social issue and association with NSS/NCC cadre students will also be an option.
- National Repository of Information for Women (NARI): Ministry of Women & Child Development, has also prepared a portal namely National Repository of Information for Women (NARI) that will provide citizens easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for women. The portal summarizes over 350 government schemes and other important information for the benefit of women.
Roles that empowered women can play - Empowered rural women can play an important role in linking other women and girls to their entitlements such as
- access to nutritious food and supplements,
- equality in participation of women in government programs such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), PM Aawas Yojna (PMAY), and
- crèches for women at working sites etc.
- They can also play an important role in bringing about a mindset change towards the value of girl child by actively associating themselves with programmes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan etc.
Conclusion
For holistic empowerment of rural women to happen, an effective convergence of all aspects impacting a women’s life is needed – be it social, economic or political. The process of empowering rural women is a continuous process. The need of the hour is to make women realise their potential, make them aware of the bright future that awaits them, guide them and nurture them.
