India is committed to achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals, including gender equality. While female literacy and the literacy gap between males and females has decreased in India since 1991, disparities still exist particularly in rural areas. Several government initiatives and international agreements aim to promote women's empowerment, rights, and political/economic participation in India. However, challenges remain like declining sex ratios, social discrimination against girls, and inadequate access to resources for rural women.

1. Millennium Development Goals
Gender and Development-India’s
Commitment
•Goals formulation in 2000 at the UN Millennium
Summit set to be achieved by 2015.
•They are Universally accepted Values and right ,
1. Freedom from hunger
2. Right to education
3. Gender equality
4. Reduce Child mortality
5. Maternal Health

2. 6. Combat HIV/ AIDS
7. Environmental Sustainability
8. Global Partnership for development
 Female Literacy gone up from 39% in 1991 to 54
%2001
 Literacy gap reduced from 25 % in 1991 to 22 % in
2001
 The Literacy gap between the Sexes is Higher in
Rural than in Urban areas.
 Infant Mortality rate (IMR) higher in Rural areas than
Urban.
 IMR higher for Girls than boys

3.  Women face limited employment Options,
discrimination, lower pay, less control over
their health and well being.
 Girls to have equal access to education by
2015.
 Educated Girls more empowerment to shape
their country’s political ,social, economic and
environ mental progress.

4. MDGS --- goal 3 – gender
equality
 Targets.
1. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and
secondary education , to all levels of
education no later than 2015.

5. United nations Development
fund for women(UNDFW)
 UNDFW provides financials and technical assistance to
promote women’s right , political participation and
economic security .
 Convention on the elimination of all forms of
discrimination against women ( CEDAW) it is
international bill of right for women
 United nations populations fund (UNFPA)
 To support programs of family planning , to combat
violence against women.
 United nation Educational , Scientific and cultural
Organization(UNESCO)
◦ gender equality program
◦ coordinates projects and policy regarding women
empowerment, gender equality .

6. CAW : Commission on the
Advancement of women
 It promotes gender equality in the policy
and practice

7. MDGS – goal 3, gender equality
India’s Commitment.
 Gender equality is enshrined in the Indian constitution
in its preamble fundamental rights , fundamental duties
and directive principles
 our development policies ,plan and programs aimed at
advancement of women.
 there is marked shift from ‘Welfare” to advancement ,
to empowerment.
 The national commission for women set up by an act of
parliament in 1990 to safe guard women’s rights.
 73rd and 74th amendment (1993) to the
constitution provides for reservation of one / third
of all seats in local and municipal bodies

9.  Education , training , employment ,and self – employment
strategies , play crucial role for emancipation of women
 Women’s movement by NGOS led to many initiatives for
women empowerment .
1.International level, India endorsed
• Mexico plan of action (1975)
• The Nairobi forward looking strategies (1995) for appropriate
follow-up
2.India has also ratified
• Various international human rights instruments
• Convention on elimination of all forms of
discrimination against women

10. 3. Gender disparity manifests it self in various
forms
 declining female ratio
 social stereotyping and violence at the domestic and
societal levels .
 discrimination against girl children
4. the access of the women in rural areas, in the
informal, un organized sector , to education
,health and productive resources is
inadequate .
5.India’s national policy for employment of
women drawn up in after math of the
beginning conference
6 .The goal of this policy to bring about
advancement and empowerment of women.

11. Measures adopted
• by changing social attitudes
• to eliminate gender based discrimination
• active participation of women
• to incorporate gender perspectives in all policies, plans
and programs
(many of the components of national policy already
implemented )
7.Government introduced a bill in
parliament to reserve one third of seats
for women in parliament and State
legislative assemblies.The bill could not be
passed into the law due to vested interests
like:

12. 1.The institutional Mechanisms:
◦ courts with public interest litigation
◦ the national human rights commission
◦ the national commission for women
2.Major challenges to human rights of
women
◦ poverty deprives women and men of the right to enjoy
basic amenities
◦ they are kept in dark about their personal , civil and
political rights

13. 3.To enhanceWomen’s empowerment
a)To provide education ,employment and role in decision
making
b) provide equal access to land and other productive resources
for women
c) suitable changes in inheritance laws
d) Hindu succession act already amended to protect women’s
right to property

14. 4.Violence against women
Measures to be adopted
 greater sensitization of the judiciary and law enforcement
agency
 setting up alternative grievance redressed mechanism
 authorized monitoring institutions
 to enhance women’s capabilities to fight justice through
collective strength
 anti – dowry police cells set up
 The dowry prohibition Act strengthened