Plight
of rural women
Sir,
Apropos
the news item 'Rural Indian women leaves
urban counter part behind' Daily
Excelsior July 5, 2005, the social
activist and researcher Dr. Saroj Lalwani
has rightly described the rural women as
brave but an oppressed figure. The lot of
rural women has not changed much despite
efforts made by the Government to empower
them. The word 'liberty' does not hold
much significance for her. She continues
to suffer physically /financially and
psychologically. She works much harder,
toils day and night, but in turn gets
abuses and insults. She continues to be
the child bearing and rearing machine.
The rural women continue to grope in
darkness and ignorance. Nothing is honky
dory for her. She is maltreated and
malfed.
It is also
strange that the schemes launched by the
Government for women empowerment do not
reach village women. The operational area
of these schemes remain confined to urban
limits only. Whether it is health policy
or employment policy, the beneficiaries
remain urban women. Moreover, rural women
suffer on account of religious, and
social taboos. She is not allowed to
widen her outlook beyond home and hearth.
Though she contributes in the house-hold
economy by way of her working
shoulder-to-shoulder with men on
farmland. She has no ray in financial
matters. If any Government is serious
about improving their lot, it should
ensure that the schemes that are launched
for their welfare are implemented in
letter and spirit. The NGOs working for
women upliftment should visit off and on
to rural areas to see for themselves the
plight of women there. By merely going
through statistical data distributed by
the Government agencies, no service will
be done to this helpless lot of the
society.
Yours
etc...
Kanchan Gupta
Shastri Nagar
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