Page 6 - Women Empowerment

Statsguru: Violence mars the path to women's empowerment in India

Moreover, significant disparities in wages paid, overall employment and education continue for women, data from the report shows

'Reject divisive tendencies': Prez Murmu asks nation in her I-Day address

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday emphasised the need to strengthen affirmative action as a tool for inclusion while urging the rejection of divisive tendencies rooted in perceived social hierarchies. In her address to the nation on the eve of 78th Independence Day, Murmu highlighted the steady progress of political democracy in India, asserting that it reflects advancements towards social democracy. She noted that the nation thrives on its diversity and plurality, moving forward as a cohesive entity. "Social justice is a top priority for the Narendra Modi government, which has initiated unprecedented measures for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other marginalised communities," the president stated. She quoted B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, emphasising that "political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy" and said steady progress of political democracy testifies to the progress made towards t

Community-led nutrition initiatives in rural India can empower women: Study

In the Pindwara village of Rajasthan, a grassroots-level initiative led by local women has transformed the community's approach to nutrition. The women, part of a self-help group, began cultivating kitchen gardens to ensure a steady supply of diverse and nutritious food for their families. These gardens now yield a variety of fruits and vegetables, contributing to a balanced diet and reducing the community's dependence on market-bought food items, which are often less nutritious. This initiative has not only improved health, but has also empowered women by giving them control over their family's nutrition. Similarly, in the tribal regions of Chhattisgarh, a collective effort by local community leaders has revitalised traditional agricultural practices. The community has reintroduced indigenous crops like millets and pulses, which are more resilient to the changing climate and require fewer resources to cultivate. These crops are rich in essential nutrients and have historically be

Progress or distress? Track the rise of women-led informal businesses

New Budget schemes seek to improve market access, scaling of operations for women-related ventures

Union Budget 2024: Fiscally prudent, inclusive, and growth-oriented

The MSME sector is the backbone of our economy, and I truly believe that for India to achieve its dream of becoming a US$5 trillion economy, this sector needs to be well supported

Union Budget 2024: Rs 13,539 cr allocated to social justice department

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has been allocated Rs 13,539 crore in the 2024-2025 budget, an increase of 37 per cent from the 2023-2024 revised estimates of Rs 9,853.32 crore. This increase is primarily focused on enhancing welfare programmes for marginalised communities and improving infrastructure for social services. The key areas of funding include Rs 9,549.98 crore for the 'Umbrella Scheme for Development of Scheduled Castes', a significant increase from the Rs 6,780 crore in the previous financial year. For achieving social justice comprehensively, the saturation approach of covering all eligible people through various programmes, including those for education and health, will be adopted, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday while presenting the 2024-25 Union Budget in Parliament. She said to ensure inclusive human resource development, a social justice saturation approach will be adopted. Social justice through the saturation approach refer

Budget 2024: What do women entrepreneurs expect from FM Nirmala Sitharaman?

Union Budget 2024: Experts seek women-centric initiatives that harness their entrepreneurship potential by providing credit opportunities, improve financial literacy and foster skill development

Paris Olympics nears gender parity, a glance at athlete gender breakdown

The founder of the modern Olympics and former IOC president, Pierre de Coubertin, once said women competing in the Games would be "impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic and improper." Over a century later, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games are targeting gender parity in the same city where women made their Olympic debut in 1900. The IOC set a goal of a 50-50 split among the more than 11,000 men and women, including backups, registered to compete from July 26 to Aug. 11. However, the latest numbers from the IOC suggest organizers might fall just short of that target. Slightly more medal events for men than women. There is still a slight edge toward men among the 329 medal events at the Paris Olympics. The IOC has said there are 157 men's events, 152 women's events and 20 mixed-gender events. Of the 32 sports, 28 are "fully gender equal," the IOC said, including the new event of breaking to music. Rhythmic gymnastics is still for women only but men are allowed to compete in artistic ...

Union Budget 2024: Push for Lakhpati Didi 2.0 to boost women empowerment

Budget 2024: The Union Budget for the financial year 2024-25 is scheduled to be presented in the Lok Sabha on July 23

Lagging indicator

Gender diversity in India Inc still sub-optimal

More women on boards, but top management tally lags global average

The study found that women in top management positions increased from nearly 14 per cent to about 22 per cent during the same period

Afghan women cricketers request ICC to set up refugee team in Australia

With the dream of once again donning the Afghanistan jersey at the international level, 17 women cricketers from the country living in self-imposed exile in Australia have written to the ICC to help set up a team, which was disbanded after the Taliban takeover in 2021. While the Afghanistan men's team has set new benchmarks and recently made it to the T20 World Cup semifinals for the first time, the women players, who were contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board before the Taliban takeover, sought refuge in Australia, where they hope to set up a refugee team and play international cricket. In a letter written to the global governing body, the women cricketers praised the splendid performance of the men's team in the T20 World Cup but rued that they were not getting opportunities to flourish. "We, the formerly contracted players of the Afghanistan women's team, are proud and excited by the achievements of Afghanistan at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and wish to congratulate Rashid

BJP's women's wing calls for probe into Foxconn India hiring practices

Foxconn hiring agents and HR sources cited family duties, pregnancy and higher absenteeism as reasons why Foxconn did not hire married women at the plant

Gender Gap index: Indian women earn Rs 40 for every Rs 100 earned by men

India slipped two spots at 129th rank in World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap index 2024. While India's economic parity score has been improving, it's 6.2 percentage points below 2012 level of 46%

Bill to raise legal marriage age for women lapses as 17th LS dissolves

With the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, a bill that aimed to bring uniformity in the age of marriage for men and women has lapsed. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 and was referred to the standing committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The standing committee received multiple extensions over a period of time. Citing provisions of law and Constitution, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Constitution expert P D T Acharya told PTI that with the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, "the bill has now lapsed". The bill aimed to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to increase the minimum age of marriage of females to 21 years. Further, the Bill would have overridden any other law, custom, or practice. Under the 2006 Act, a person married below the minimum age may apply for annulment within two years of attaining majority (i.e., before 20 years of age). The Bill increases thi

A woman for all seasons

Professor Nico Slate's book is an ode to a fascinating, courageous and multi-talented woman who lived through many chapters of India's evolution and built lasting institutions, including the IIC

Lok Sabha polls: Women voters outnumber men in fifth phase of polls

More of the women electorate have voted in both Odisha and Jharkhand as well in the two phases of polling that have taken place in these states since May 13

Girls, women unsafe under Congress govt in Karnataka, alleges BJP

The BJP on Saturday slammed the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government over the law and order situation in Karnataka and alleged that young girls and women had no protection. Sharing a newsreport where a minor Dalit girl was allegedly impregnated by a youth in Hubballi, the BJP took to social media platform to condemn the incident. In a post on 'X', the BJP alleged that the minor girl was "raped by a fanatic" and that there is no "protection for Hindu young women and girls in Hubballi." "Hindu young women are today victims of the mistake of giving power to terrorists, rapists, fanatic Jhihadists called brothers @INCKarnataka like the Kerala files," the party alleged in the post. Meanwhile, a youth has been arrested for allegedly impregnating minor girl in Hubballi, police said. Citing the recent murder case of Congress Councillor Niranjan Hiremath's 23-year-old daughter Neha, who was stabbed to death inside her college campus in Hubballi, the BJP attacked the state government over t

Protecting Streedhan, tailored dressing: Top personal finance stories

Our top stories this week tell you about a woman's inalienable financial right and why tailored clothes are better than readymade

BJP manifesto promises 30 mn houses, empowerment of women and farmers

MSP to be hiked periodically, PM-KISAN disbursements to continue