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  • Essay Composition On Women empowerment vis-a-vis WB scenario For WBCS Main Exam
    Posted on May 2nd, 2018 in Weekly Essay Contest.
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    Essay Composition On Women empowerment vis-a-vis WB scenario For WBCS Main Exam

    Essay writing in W.B.C.S exam is important because it is a reflection of your deepest thoughts and ideas.It should be known how to write a good essay and the important points must be remembered while writing an essay.Introduction should catch the attention of the reader. It can begin with a quotation, a question, an exclamatory mark. Each individual paragraph in the body must convey a single idea only. The ending should be lovely as well as balanced. Ending with a memorable quote or question or providing it an interesting twist would also be a excellent idea.This is not a part of W.B.C.S Preliminary Exam.Following previous years question papers helps in understanding the types of essay’s that generally come in the W.B.C.S Mains Exam.Continue Reading Essay Composition On Women empowerment vis-a-vis WB scenario For WBCS Main Exam.

    Women Empowerment itself elaborates that Social Rights , Political Rights , Economic stability , judicial strength and all other rights should be also equal to women.There should be no discrimination between men and woman. Women should now there fundamental and social rights which they get once they born.

    • There should be respect and dignity towards Women.
    • Have total independences of their own life and lifestyle inside the home and also outside at their work.
    • They should make their decision , by their own choice.
    • They should have a high social respect in society.
    • They have equal rights in society and other judicial works .
    • They should not be discriminated while providing any type of education.
    • They should select their own economic and financial choices by their own.
    • There should not be any discrimination between woman and man while giving jobs and employment .
    • They should have safe and secured Working location with proper privacy.

    There is no denying the fact that women in India have made a considerable progress in almost seven decades of Independence, but they still have to struggle against many handicaps and social evils in the male-dominated society. Many evil and masculine forces still prevail in the modern Indian society that resists the forward march of its women folk. It is ironical that a country, which has recently acclaimed the status of the first Asian country to accomplish its Mars mission in the maiden attempt, is positioned at the 29th rank among 146 countries across the globe on the basis of Gender Inequality Index. There has been amelioration in the position of women, but their true empowerment is still awaited.
    Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest sons of India, quoted that, There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved, It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. ” Therefore, the inclusion of “Women Empowerment’ as one of the prime goals in the eight Millennium Development Goals underscores the relevance of this fact. Thus, in order to achieve the status of a developed country, India needs to transform its colossal women force into an effective human resource and this is possible only through the empowerment of women.
    Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to building stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families, and communities.

    What is women empowerment?

    Women empowerment means emancipation of women from the vicious grips of social, economical, political, caste and gender-based discrimination. It means granting women the freedom to make life choices. Women empowerment does not mean ‘deifying women’ rather it means replacing patriarchy with parity. In this regard, there are various facets of women empowerment, such as given  here under-
    Human Rights or Individual Rights: A woman is a being with senses, imagination and thoughts; she should be able to express them freely. Individual empowerment means to have the self-confidence to articulate and assert the power to negotiate and decide.
    Social Women Empowerment A critical aspect of social empowerment of women is the promotion of gender equality. Gender equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life.
    Educational Women Empowerment  It means empowering women with the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. It means making women aware of their rights and developing a confidence to claim them.
    Economic and occupational empowerment It implies a better quality of material life through sustainable livelihoods owned and managed by women. It means reducing their financial dependence on their male counterparts by making them a significant part of the human resource.
    Legal Women Empowerment It suggests the provision of an effective legal structure which is supportive of women empowerment. It means addressing the gaps between what the law prescribes and what actually occurs.
    Political Women EmpowermentIt means the existence of a political system favoring the participation in and control by the women of the political decision-making process and in governance.
    The position of Women in India: The position enjoyed by women in the Rig- Vedic period deteriorated in the later Vedic civilization. Women were denied the right to education and widow remarriage. They were denied the right to inheritance and ownership of property. Many social evils like child marriage and dowry system surfaced and started to engulf women. During Gupta period, the status of women immensely deteriorated. Dowry became an institution and Sati Pratha became prominent.
    Current Scenario on Women Empowerment -. Based on the ideas championed by our founding fathers for women empowerment, many social, economic and political provisions were incorporated in the Indian Constitution. Women in India now participate in areas such as education, sports, politics, media, art and culture, service sector and science and technology. But due to the deep- rooted patriarchal mentality in the Indian society, women are still victimized, humiliated, tortured and exploited. Even after almost seven decades of Independence, women are still subjected to discrimination in the social, economic and educational field.
    Major landmark steps taken for women empowerment.- Provisions made under the Constitution of India such as: Right to equality under Article 14 of the Indian Constitution guarantees to all Indian women equality before law; Equal pay for equal work under Article 39(d), guards the economic rights of women by guaranteeing equal pay for equal work; and Maternity Relief under Article 42, allows provisions to be made by the state for securing just and humane condition of work and maternity relief for women.
    Acts like the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, prohibits the request, payment or acceptance of a dowry. Asking or giving dowry can be punished by imprisonment as well as fine; Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, provides for a more effective protection of the rights of women who are victims of domestic violence. A breach of this Act is punishable with both fine and imprisonment; Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013, helps to create a conducive environment at the workplace for women where they are not subjected to any sort of sexual harassment.
    Panchayati Raj Institutions As per the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, all the local elected bodies reserve one-third of their seats for women. Such a provision was made to increase the effective participation of women in politics.
    Women’s Reservation Bill: It is a pending Bill in India which proposes to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha and in all State Legislative Assemblies for women. If passed, this Bill will give a significant boost to the position of women in politics.
    Various Government Policies and Schemes-. The Government of India is running various welfare schemes and policies, both at State and Central levels for the empowerment of woman. Some of the major programs and measures include Swadhar (1995), Swayam Siddha (2001), Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP-2003), Sabla Scheme (2010), National Mission for Empowerment of Women (2010) etc. All such policies and programs focus on social, economic and educational empowerment of women across various age groups.
    Thus, there has been no dearth of social, economic, political, legal and Constitutional efforts made for the empowerment of women both prior to and post-Independence. However, women in India continue to face atrocities such as rape, dowry killings, acid attacks, human trafficking, etc. According to a global poll conducted by Reuters, India is the “fourth most dangerous country in the world for women”.

    Women Empowerment — Challenges

    Perspective: The most widespread and dehumanizing discriminations against women are on the basis of the biassed perspective. The discrimination against the girl child begins from the birth itself. Boys are preferred over girls; hence, female infanticide is a common practice in India. The ordeal that an Indian girl faces at birth is only the beginning of a lifelong struggle to be seen and heard.
    Patriarchate Bottlenecks The traditional Indian society is a patriarchal society ruled by the diktats of self-proclaimed caste lords who are the guardians of archaic and unjust traditions. They put the burden of traditions, culture, and honor on the shoulders of women and mark their growth. The incidences of “honor killing” reveal the distorted social fiber in the male-dominated society.
    Economic Backwardness: Women constitute only 29% of the workforce but forms majority of the destitute in the country. There has been a failure in transforming the available women base into human resource. This, in turn, has hampered not only the economic development of women but also of the country’ as a whole.
    Implementation Gaps Through all these years, the attention is only on developing and devising new schemes, policies and programmes and have paid less attention to the proper monitoring system and implementation short-sightedness, for e.g. despite the presence of The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technologies Act and various health programmes like Janani Suraksha Yojana and National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), our country has a skewed sex ratio and a high maternal mortality . rate (MMR).
    Loopholes in the legal structure  Although there are a number of laws to protect women against all sorts of violence yet there has been the significant increase in the episodes of rapes, extortions, acid, attacks etc. This is due to delay in legal procedures and the presence of several loopholes in the functioning of a judicial system.
    Lack of Political Will: The still- pending Women’s Reservation Bill underscores the lack of political will to empower women politically. The male dominance prevails in the politics of India and women are forced to remain mute spectators.
    Way ahead starts with bridging the deep-rooted biases through sustained reconditioning. It is only possible by promoting the idea of gender equality and uprooting social ideology of male child preferability. This concept of equality should be first developed in each and every household and from there, it should be taken to the society. This can be achieved by running sustained awareness programs with the help of Nukkad Natak or dramas, radio, television, Internet, etc. across the country.
    Replacing ‘Patriarchy’ with Parity: A strong patriarchate society with deep- rooted socio-cultural values continues to affect women’s empowerment. The need of the hour is an egalitarian society, where there is no place for superiority. The Government should identify and eliminate such forces that work to keep alive the tradition of male dominance over its female counterpart by issuing inhumane and unlawful diktats.
    Education is the most important and indispensable tool for women empowerment. It makes women aware of their rights and responsibilities. Educational achievements of a woman can have ripple effects for the family and across generations. Most of the girls drop out of schools due to the unavailability of separate toilets for them. The recently launched ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ focusing on improving sanitation facilities in schools and every rural household by 2019, can prove to be very significant in bringing down the rate of girls dropping out of school.
    Political Will: Women should have access to resources, rights, and entitlements. They should be given decision-making powers and due position in governance. Thus, the Women Reservation Bill should be passed as soon as possible to increase the effective participation of women in the politics of India.
    Bridging implementation gaps: Government or community-based bodies must be set up to monitor the programs devised for the welfare of the society. Due importance should be given for their proper implementation and their monitoring and evaluation through social audits.
    Justice delayed is justice denied. Efforts should be made to restructure the legal process to deliver fair and in- time justice to the victims of heinous crimes like rapes, acid attacks, sexual harassment, trafficking and domestic violence. The idea of fast-track courts, devised to impart speedy justice to the victims of rapes and other crimes against women, is a good initiative taken by the judiciary and the Government of India.

    Women’s empowerment in West Bengal-

    In its first five-year term, the Trinamool Congress Government has brought about many major initiatives for women in West Bengal.
    As a result, women all over the State have benefitted immensely.
    Here are ten major initiatives for women:
    KANYASHREE SCHEME: Kanyashree is the State’s flagship project for the girl child. More than 30 lakh girls have been enrolled under the scheme, whcih has garnered international as well as national recognitions.
    EDUCATION: For the first time, under the Trinamool Congress administration, a university for women has been set in Diamond Harbour. A state women’s college for minorities is coming up in Ekbalpore, Kolkata. Twenty-one hostels for women have being constructed in various polytechnics across the State. Through the State Government’s Sabuj Sathi Scheme, wherein bicycles are given to school children in rural areas, thousands of girls, too have benefitted. Besides, over 8,000 girl students studying in Class IX in the Sundarbans region have been given bicycles over the last five years. Around 40 Womens’ Corners have been opened in different Government and Government-sponsored libraries to increase access to women readers.
    SWABALAMBAN SCHEME: Through the Swabalamban Scheme, training is given on a wide range of livelihood activities, e.g., zari craft, handloom weaving, beautician courses, community health, readymade garment-making, wood carving, etc. Recently, as a part of this scheme, the State Government has launched an acting project for sex workers, meant to make them self-sufficient by giving them acting lessons and making them employable in the entertainment industry.
    MUKTIR ALO: Muktir Alo is a comprehensive scheme for the rehabilitation of sex workers. It provides them with opportunities for leading a life with dignity by providing them alternative career opportunities, and also gives protection to victims of sex trafficking.
    MATERNITY LEAVE: For the benefit of women, maternity leave for State Government employees has been extended. ‘Maternity and Child Care Leave,’ as it is called, can now be taken for a total period of two years, in stages.
    KOLKATA SAFEST CITY FOR WOMEN: Kolkata is one of the safest metros in India for women. According to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Kolkata is the safest city in Kolkata in terms of crimes against women. The India Today Best City Awards 2014 awarded Kolkata the award for the best city in the category of crime and safety. Kolkata Police offers martial arts training to schoolgirls, under Project Sukanya, to make them self-reliant when it comes to defending themselves.
    POLICE STATIONS RUN BY WOMEN: The West Bengal Government has adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards crime against women. The Government is setting up police stations run exclusively by women police officers. As of now, the Government has set up 30 Women Police Stations, as these are termed.
    ANTI-TRAFFICKING UNITS: The State Government has set up dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking Units and Special Juvenile Police units in each district.
    EMPLOYMENT: More than 27,000 self-help groups have been formed over the last five years, which have over 16 lakh women members. Financial assistance to the tune of Rs 200.07 lakh has been sanctioned for development of women’s cooperative societies. The State has also created employment opportunities, including many for women, through skill development in various sectors. The Biswa Bangla initiative by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also opened up a lot of employment opportunities for women. A lot of the handicraft workers in the rural areas are women, who are earning a decent livelihood. Women’s participation in MGNREGS, in which the State has achieved unique milestones, has increased to 41%, which is all-time high in the State.
    HOSTELS FOR WORKING WOMEN: To sort out the accommodation issues of working women, hostels have been constructed. A 40-bedded hostel, Ananya, has been at up in Durgapur and another 44-bedded one, named Swayangsiddha, in Salt Lake, Kolkata. Seven more are in different phases of construction all over the State.

    Conclusion

    Empowering women socially, economically, educationally politically and legally is going to be a Herculean task. It is not going to be easy to change the culture of disregard for women which are so deep-rooted in Indian society. But it does not mean that it is implausible. Only revolutions bring changes in a day, but reforms take their time. This one, in particular, will take its time as well. The idea of women empowerment might sound hard by the yard, but by the inch, it is just a cinch. All we need is a concentrated effort focused in the right direction that would rest only with the liberation of women from all forms of evil.
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