Empowerment of Women in India: Policy, Legislation, and Schemes

Women’s empowerment in India is not merely a policy goal but a constitutional imperative backed by decades of legislation, planning, and dedicated schemes. From fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution to carefully designed programs targeting specific challenges, the Indian government has built an extensive framework for women’s advancement. Understanding this framework helps us see both the progress made and the work that remains in achieving true gender equality.

Constitutional foundations for equality
National policy and planning framework
Integrated Child Development Services
Empowering adolescent girls through SABLA
Dhanalakshmi Scheme for preventing child marriage
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh and microcredit empowerment
National Mission for convergence and coordination
Gender budgeting and institutional mechanisms

Constitutional foundations for equality

The Indian Constitution established the bedrock for women’s empowerment through several key provisions. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law, while Article 15 specifically prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex and empowers the state to make special provisions favoring women. Article 16 provides equal opportunity in employment, ensuring women can access public sector positions without bias.

Beyond these fundamental rights, the Directive Principles of State Policy contain crucial provisions. Article 39(a) directs the state to secure equal right to livelihood for men and women, while Article 39(d) mandates equal pay for equal work. Article 42 requires the state to make provision for just and humane working conditions and maternity relief. These constitutional guarantees have been strengthened by legislation including amendments to the Hindu Succession Act and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.

National policy and planning framework

The National Policy for Empowerment of Women, adopted in 2001, operationalized the goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This policy marked a shift from viewing women as passive beneficiaries to recognizing them as active agents of change. The policy focuses on ensuring equal opportunities, rights, and access to resources for women across various sectors.

The government established concrete, measurable targets through its Five Year Plans. The 11th Plan set specific targets for improving the sex ratio, reducing infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate, and addressing malnutrition and anemia among women and girls. However, implementation has faced challenges. The 2011 Census revealed a troubling decline in the child sex ratio to 914 girls per 1,000 boys, highlighting that despite policy commitments, deep-rooted gender biases persist in Indian society.

Integrated Child Development Services

The Integrated Child Development Services scheme, launched in October 1975, stands as one of the world’s largest community-based programs. ICDS provides nutritional meals, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, and health check-ups to children under six years and their mothers. The scheme targets pregnant women, lactating mothers, and women aged 16-44 years.

ICDS employs Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, economically empowering women while delivering services to marginalized communities. Through its network of Anganwadi Centers, the program provides nutrition education aimed at enabling women to manage their own health and that of their families. This dual approach addresses both immediate nutritional needs and long-term empowerment through knowledge.

Empowering adolescent girls through SABLA

The Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, known as SABLA, was initiated on April 1, 2011 under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The scheme targets girls aged 11-18 years, a critical phase when many face risks of dropping out of school, child marriage, and poor nutrition. SABLA aims to improve nutritional and health status while promoting awareness about health, hygiene, and reproductive health.

The program provides an integrated package including nutrition supplementation, iron and folic acid tablets, health check-ups, and most importantly, life skills education and vocational training. Research shows SABLA has increased family planning knowledge, improved dietary habits, and contributed to delaying marriage and first childbirth among participants. By linking with the National Skill Development Program, SABLA equips adolescent girls with marketable skills for economic independence.

Dhanalakshmi Scheme for preventing child marriage

Launched in March 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Dhanalakshmi Scheme was designed as a conditional cash transfer program to combat female infanticide and child marriage. The scheme offered an insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh to girls when they turned 18, provided they remained unmarried. It also provided cash incentives linked to birth registration, immunization, and school enrollment.

Implemented in 11 backward blocks across seven states with unfavorable child sex ratios, the scheme received over 5,000 applications within a short period. Though the scheme has since been discontinued and replaced by programs like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, it played a pioneering role in establishing the model of conditional cash transfers to change attitudes toward the girl child.

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh and microcredit empowerment

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, established in 1993 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, addresses the credit needs of poor women in the informal sector. RMK provides collateral-free microcredit through Intermediary Microfinance Organizations that on-lend to Self Help Groups of women.

The organization’s approach goes beyond simple credit delivery. RMK provides financial literacy training and employs a client-centric delivery system with subsidized interest rates ranging from 6 to 10 percent. This enables women to start small businesses, invest in education, or access healthcare. By empowering women economically, RMK helps break the cycle of poverty while building women’s confidence and decision-making abilities.

National Mission for convergence and coordination

The National Mission for Empowerment of Women was operationalized during 2011-12 to achieve holistic empowerment through convergence. With the Ministry of Women and Child Development as the nodal agency, NMEW brings together schemes and programs from different ministries to provide a single-window service for women.

The Mission established District Convergence Facilitation Centers and Village Level Facilitation Centers called Poorna Shakti Kendras in selected districts across states. These centers serve as one-stop facilities where women can access information about various schemes, receive guidance, and connect with services. The Mission also supports implementation and monitoring of initiatives like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, One Stop Centres, and Women Helplines.

Gender budgeting and institutional mechanisms

India introduced Gender Budget Statements in 2005-06, marking its commitment to examining public resource allocation through a gender lens. The budget is divided into parts: Part A for schemes with 100 percent provision for women, Part B for schemes allocating at least 30 percent for women, and recently added Part C for schemes with below 30 percent allocation.

Gender budgeting cells have been established in multiple ministries to review expenditure and conduct impact analysis. The Women Component Plan, introduced during the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002), mandated that at least 30 percent of funds from all development sectors flow to women. From 2014-15 to 2025-26, gender budget allocation increased from Rs. 0.98 lakh crore to Rs. 4.49 lakh crore, reaching 8.86 percent of the Union Budget.

However, implementation gaps remain. Despite 18 years of gender budgeting, the size remains around 5 percent of the total Union budget, and Part B consistently receives larger allocations than women-specific schemes in Part A. Reviews of the 10th Plan revealed that monitoring mechanisms were insufficient and many schemes did not fully utilize their women’s component allocation, indicating that policy commitments on paper must be matched by effective implementation on the ground.

What do you think? Given India’s comprehensive policy framework for women’s empowerment, what additional measures could strengthen implementation and ensure benefits reach the most marginalized women? How can communities contribute to making these schemes more effective at the grassroots level?

References

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Empowerment of Women in India: Policy, Legislation, and Schemes

Table of Contents

Constitutional foundations for equality 🔗

National policy and planning framework 🔗

Integrated Child Development Services 🔗

Empowering adolescent girls through SABLA 🔗

Dhanalakshmi Scheme for preventing child marriage 🔗

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh and microcredit empowerment 🔗

National Mission for convergence and coordination 🔗

Gender budgeting and institutional mechanisms 🔗