Challenges ahead for women

FOR THE first time since Independence, gender inequity in India has been referred to as an issue in the Indian Economic Survey, 2000. The National Institute for Public Finance and Policy submitted its interim report on Gender Budgeting in 2000.

Understanding the significance of bridging gender inequity with a focus on gender budgeting could be the key to India's development. Gender Budgeting is the most viable option to achieve economic growth comparable to that of China, said Prof. Swaminathan, Business Editor, The Hindu.

Speaking at a workshop on "Challenges facing Indian Women in the New Millennium," organised by The Joint Action Council for Women (JACW), on March 10, Prof. Swaminathan emphasised that NGOs had a valuable role to play in the development process. He believed that the Woman's Component Plan suggested in the 9th Plan should be taken up as a broad national agenda. A mere increase in budget allocation, he said, was not the solution. Instead, there was a need for specific earmarking of funds in the department of Government spending for women.

Every woman should realise the importance of self-reliance and prove her competence and strength, said Dr. Vasanthi Vasudevan, Schoolnetindia.com.

According to her, education for women should focus on building life skills and felt that using information technology for education was a viable option. An education plan using technology would involve the support of the community, industry and the Government.

Go into the remote villages of India and you will see a silent revolution sweeping the nation, said B. S. Raghavan, retired IAS officer, and trustee, Satyamurthi Foundation. Social emancipation and economic empowerment of women were happening in India, he said.

The Micro Credit Programme launched by Bhooma Parthasarathy in Ranipet has been a grand success. Raghavan felt that the Indian woman was becoming a force to reckon with in every sphere of development, including politics.

There are an estimated one million women Panchayat members in India. Contrary to popular belief that these women members are guided by their male relatives, B. S. Raghavan said most of them were strong individuals who exercised power of their own. Quoting the findings of a recent survey conducted by the Centre For Women's Development Studies, in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, he said, 2/3 of the women panchayat members in these States have come on their own.

In the more progressive States like Tamil Nadu, women were becoming a powerful political force.

But not everything is rosy for Indian women. The sex ratio in India remains disproportionate in 118 districts, the worst among them being Salem in Tamil Nadu. Infanticide, neglect of the girl child, teenage pregnancies, along with poor maternal care, had led to this, said C. K. Gariyali, IAS officer and Chairperson, Science City. She pointed out that technology in the form of the sex-detection test of the foetus had aggravated the problem.

Indian women were plagued with numerous deficiency-related problems, she said. Efforts should be made to promote intake of iron and also the T10 and T14 anti-tentanus doses to increase immunity. Blood safety remains an issue in India which needs to be addressed, Gariyali said. Creating awareness about breast and cervical cancer could also help in early detection and prevention, she added.

Participants suggested that the services of celebrities could be used for the various awareness programmes. It was also pointed out that there was little research done on women's health. Besides, the need to have separate drug tests for men and women was also emphasised, considering the different metabolic rates of the genders.

Visa Ravindran, freelance journalist and former president, JACW, said that in this era of transition, there were no role models and young minds were often confused.

Dr. K. Shanthi, faculty, the Madras University, suggested that mental health of young adolescents should be a priority area.

Women from traditional families faced several psychological problems when exposed to modern media icons, she said.

Networking among women, all the speakers agreed, was significant for the rise of a strong woman's movement in India.

Shiela Jones, Project Officer, CASA, said that human-centered development must be focus of the new century. NGOs too, she said, were gearing up to the challenges in the new era and were re- examining and redefining their goals.

As Shiela Jones said, interlinking of diverse goals may well be the strategy for development in the coming years.

M. A.

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