Millennium Development Goal 3: Achievements and the Issues of Women Empowerment Before the Maharashtra Government Institutions
| Published date | 01 July 2014 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120140315 |
| Author | Neelima Deshmukh |
| Date | 01 July 2014 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3:
ACHIEVEMENTS
AND
THE ISSUES OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT BEFORE THE MAHARASHTRA
GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
NEELIMA DESHMUKH
Many changes have been inducted since the transition
of
Police
to Welfare
and
to Development State changing the Indian
scenario in totality, each transition adding new directions in
deed. More so many aspects
of
multidimensional development
in post-independence era are camouflaging enough
to
invite
everybody
'S
attention. Today our country is one
of
the five
superpowers
of
the world with nuclear weapons, high level
technology, inventions, in the eminent and relevant fields but
on the other hand we have no basic amenities like drinking
water, and sanitation facilities in many areas. Considering
the paradox, the fruits
of
the development have been reaped
by a few handful resourceful persons with majority
of
them
remaining deprived
of
it.
Huge Indian population
of
120 crore,
acute poverty, unemployment, infrastructure development,
hygienic disease free society are some important issues out
of
many unattended issues.
AS EVIDENT even after 67 years much remains to be done. The Hon'ble
former President
of
India, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam looks forward to see
India as a developed State by 2020. 48. 7 per cent
of
women constitute
almost half
of
the country's
t~tal
population, which plays a major role in
country's development and the nation cannot afford to waste such a large
human resources hence there is an acute need to channelise their potentials
properly. But unfortunately their low level
of
empowerment hinders their
contribution to nation building. Therefore apart from human rights point
of
view and from the development perspective also, women's empowerment
ranks to be the first crucial problem posing the challenge before the policy-
makers, and its implementers. Furthermore the need for addressing this
issue has been enlarged due to the focussed attention
of
the world towards
MILLENNIUM
DEVELOPMENT
GOAL
3 I
561
NEELJMA
DESHMUKH
Millennium Development Goals which has also given the top priority to
the programme
of
women's empowerment.
The present article attempts
to
look into the development strategies, to
meet the challenges
of
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), its
implementation and the performance through the instrument
of
the local
government Institutions to combat the poverty and impact
of
gender bias
particularly in the urban areas, providing livelihood and opportunities
of
decision-making through capacity building
of
women who have been
provided 50 per cent reservation in the government Institutes. The study
relates to status
of
women's empowerment in the context of Maharashtra
state which is supposed to be the most progressive state suggesting the
ways and means
to
ensure capacity building
of
women in political field, so
that
as
a policy-maker they can cater to the welfare
of
the society and
contribute wholeheartedly to meet the national agenda
of
development
and objectives
of
MDGs in a real sense.
Empowering
of
women has been a visual in politics: political
empowerment, a search in the society: Social empowerment but absolute
need in economics: economic empowerment. Empowerment signifies
increasing the social, political, economic and the spiritual powers
of
the
individuals and groups in societies. It often involves the empowered in
developing
the
confidence
in
their
own
capacities.
Sociological
empowerment addresses members or the groups those have been socially
discriminated, marginalised and excluded from the decision-making
process. Discrimination against the women is a hard social process that
has developed and existed in the human society from the time immemorial
involving half
of
the entire population. The process
of
Liberalisation,
Privatisation and Globalisation
(LPG}
has further exaggerated the situation
particularly in the Indian context. The following five major components
have been identified as parameters
of
women's empowerment:
(i) Women's sense
of
self-worth;
(ii)
Their right
to
have and determine the choices;
(iii) Their right to have acce!'s to the opportunities and resources;
(iv) Their right to have the power to control their own lives, both
within and outside the home; and
(v) Their ability to influence the direction
of
social change
to
create
more
just,
social and
economical
order,
nationally
and
internationally.
These five components are very much applicable to the economic
sphere. Women's economic empowerment is a key to unlock most
of
her
sufferings which can be targeted to expand economic opportunity, to
strengthen their legal status and rights, ensure their voice, inclusion and
To continue reading
Request your trial