The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (March 8) was “Time is now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. UN global efforts for the day focussed on women in rural areas, who experience more drastic gaps of inequality. They lack infrastructure and services, decent work and social protection and are left more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. For global progress towards gender equality, moving towards Sustainable
Development Goals means urgent action for rural women – action for an adequate standard of living, access to land and productive assets, food security, decent work, education and health.
While the male literacy rate in the country is 82.1 per cent, female literacy lags at 65.5 per cent. According to 2011 census, the populations of rural women who are literate are 58.8 per cent. In Odisha the male literacy rate is 82.4 per cent and female literacy rate is 64.4 per cent. The workforce participation rate of males and females in the country is 54.4 per cent and 21.9 per cent, respectively. In Odisha, according to 2011 census, 61.8 per cent of total workers are engaged in agriculture. The percentage of agricultural labourers among total women worker is 57.8 per cent. Rural women are the major contributors in agriculture and its allied fields. Her work ranges from crop production, livestock production to cottage industry. Despite such a huge involvement, her role and dignity has yet not been recognized. Ever since Independence, a number of innovative programmes have been launched for the uplift of women in our country. But the result seems to be far from satisfactory. Women are facing problems in their daily life even after they are given equal rights and opportunities like men by the Constitution of India.
The lack of adequate self-employment in Odisha has led to a large section of poor migrating to different parts of the country and also inadequate irrigation facility is another major cause which keeps agriculture at backward. Besides these factors, rural Odisha lacks infrastructural facilities. Unemployment is the biggest challenge in the rural areas that leads to poverty and other social issues. Educating them and empowering them with a source of livelihood really matters a lot. The condition of women is more miserable in the rural Odisha with respect to various socioeconomic aspects.
In rural areas women do more than half of the total agricultural work. But their work is not valued. As the service sector was not much developed in the past, rural women were engaged in agricultural sector. But now women are working in other fields. Making the youths able to work and earn through trainings is a great initiative.
The Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) in Odisha have become a source of inspiration for women and their welfare. The introduction of Self Help Groups (SHG) concept and its implementation is a mechanism to empower poor masses and particularly women of Odisha. It leads the path towards economic empowerment of women in the State. The SHG is a process by which a large group of women (10 - 20), with common objectives are facilitated to come together voluntarily to participate in the development activities such as saving, credit and income generation thereby ensuring economic independence.
The concept of Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) has been adopted by many agencies including the Government in the State which operated through women groups. Banks and schemes such as Rashtriya Mahila Kosh provide financial assistance to women’s groups. Formation of WSHGs is certainly a viable alternative to achieve the objectives of rural development and to get community participation in all rural development programmers. The Government encourages women to form SHGs, especially in rural areas. This is mainly to improve the status of women living below the poverty line. In Odisha these groups started functioning under the flagship programme for poverty alleviation and empowerment of women named as Mission Shakti launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on March 8, 2001 on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Women SHGs are involved in a variety of income generation activities such as pisciculture, dairy, vegetable cultivation, floriculture, stitching, bee keeping, rope making etc. Women became a member of Self Help Group in the beginning stage. Then, she involved herself in different credit and saving activities.
The 73rd and 74th amendments initiated the processes for introducing institutional arrangements for seeking integrated development of settlements, areas and regions. For this purpose these amendments provide two types of Committees namely District Planning Committee and Metropolitan Planning Committee. These committees would ensure that the plans prepared by local bodies at village and town levels are integrated and accommodated within the framework of 20 to 25 year perspective plans and 5 year economic development plans prepared at the national and State levels.
Institute of Town Planners, India in the year 1995 conducted a study to detail out urban development plans formulation and implementation (UDPFI) guidelines. The basic purpose of this study was to arrive at a methodology of plan preparation that would not only help to prepare better master plans but also help in achieving integrated development of rural-urban areas. The UDPFI guidelines suggest various institutional support mechanisms that would help in achieving rural-urban integration.
Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home. Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.
Women must know their rights and be able to access legal systems. Besides, they must be involved in the decision-making process and exercise their right and responsibility to participate equally with men in governance. It will lead the path towards economic empowerment of women in both urban and rural areas.
(Dr Praharaj is a faulty member in the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)