Following the tragic incident of rape and killing of a young girl in a running Delhi bus, the Union Government, under pressure from the youth community, and also under the diktat of its own conscience, have introduced some serious measures to provide not only more dependable security to women in the country but also such conditions as would ensure their economic and social independence. One of the measures falling in this category is of National Mission for Empowerment of Women. The Mission has a mandate to achieve inter-sectoral convergence of all pro-women / women centric programmes across various Ministries. It is an attempt by the Government to put women’s concerns at the very heart of public policy and governance. The National Mission will strive to achieve social, economic and legal empowerment of women by identifying gaps in developmental goals and setting up of an appropriate institutional framework to overcome bottlenecks in the process of ensuring coordinated and effective service delivery to women at the grassroots level. The Mission will focus on themes like economic empowerment of women, progressive elimination of violence against women, social empowerment of women with particular emphasis on health and education., gender mainstreaming of programmes, policies, institutional arrangements and processes of participating Ministries, institutions and organizations and awareness generation as well as advocacy activities to fuel the demand for benefits under various schemes and programmes at the grassroots level.
In the recently held cabinet meeting, sanction was accorded to the roll out of National Mission for Empowerment of Women in Jammu and Kashmir State. The point is that there are various women-centric schemes in various departments of the Government. Obviously, forging convergence in women-centric projects would go a long way in catering to the overall uplifting and empowerment of women. It is the precise purpose of rolling out of National Mission for Empowerment of Women in the State. Admittedly, while the State Government is seized of providing the women rights and status, it is highly laudable that under the agenda of the Mission in question focus areas have been identified access to health, drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, coverage of all girls especially those belonging to vulnerable groups in schools from primary to class 12th, higher and professional education for girls/women, skill development, micro credit, vocational training, entrepreneurship, self help group development, general sensitization and dissemination of information and prevention of crime against women and taking steps for a safe environment for women. State Government has already registered a society under the name and style of J&K Women Empowerment Society, which will establish State Resource Centre for Women so that funds could flow to it directly from the Central Government.
It will be highly advisable for the State Government to allow the Women’s Empowerment Society full autonomy in planning projects catering to the needs of the women and floating them in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Union Government. Focus has to be on making women economically independent and prosperous. This is one strong way of controlling and eradicating male assault on women and their harassment and abuse. Moreover bringing useful skills to the doorsteps of women will change the entire mindset of our society. Liberating the women from the four walls of the home and the unending chores of household, and providing them opportunity of greater and meaningful socialization will prove as harbinger to revolutionizing the entire society.
The State Cabinet has taken a very useful and much needed step of rolling out National Mission for Empowerment of Women scheme at a time when we need the womenfolk of our State to come out from age-old confines and take active part in the development and progress of society. We would be very glad to see the legislative seats filled by women of the State. We would also be happy to see adequate number of women employed in all the three organs of the state and corporate sector of the state. Providing education to them up to the highest level will not mean much if they are not represented in the organs of the state and especially in the administration and judiciary. By rolling out National Mission and by constituting the J&K Women Empowerment Society, the state cabinet has taken a timely decision in right direction.
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