Women and Child Development Programmes

Dr. Radhika Kapur

Abstract
In India, the development of the conditions of women and children have been
considered imperative in order to lead to the overall development of the country. The
development of women has been the main focus of the Government since the First Plan
which was from 1951-1956. In the present existence, the development of women and children
have been gaining prominence with regards to the areas of health, nutrition, education,
labour, rural development, urban development, science and technology, and employment
opportunities. There has been immense improvement in the status of women and children,
they are getting enrolled in higher educational institutions, women are obtaining employment
opportunities in information technology and other well reputed companies and are becoming
professionals such as, doctors, lawyers, managers, educationists, researchers and so forth.
Department of Women and Child Development has made efforts to lead to the welfare and
improvement of the women and children. There are number of problems and predicaments
that women and children experience, such as poverty, backwardness, unemployment,
illiteracy, social crisis, insecurity, vulnerability and violence. Therefore, the main objective is
to make provision of welfare services and programmes to provide benefits to women in the
conditions of misery, they require care, support, assistance, rehabilitation, and protection of
their children. The main purpose of this research paper is to look into women and child
development programmes. The main objective of these programmes are to alleviate the
conditions of poverty, make provision of educational and employment opportunities, and take
care of the safety, nutritional and health requirements of the vulnerable sections of the
society.

Keywords: Women, Child, Development, Programmes, Measures, Wellbeing,

Support

Introduction
In the framework of implementing human development as the definitive objective of
all the progressive determinations, development of women and development of children
acquires significance on the country’s progress program. Women and Children together
constitute 65.6 percent of the country’s total population and account for 673.80 million, as it
was anticipated in 2001. Women, as an autonomous target group, account for 495.74 million
and represent 48.3 percent of the country’s total population, as per the 2001 Census.
Empowering women as a process and it requires a life-cycle method. Therefore, every phase
of their life counts as a primacy in the planning process. Depending upon the progressive
requirements at every stage, female population has been characterized into five distinct sub-
groups as the population anticipated for 2001 (Women and Children, 2007).
In the women and child development sector, the techniques which lead to the
progression of women and children also implements the schemes, besides formulating
policies and programmes. The programmes of the Department include, empowering
strategies, employment and income generation, welfare and support services, awareness
generation and gender sensitization and other enabling measures. These programmes play the
role of being both supplementary and complementary to the other general development
programmes in the sectors of health, education, labour and employment and rural and urban
development and so forth. There have been implementation of various services and measures
that assist in the development of the conditions of women and children. The main areas that
are focused upon in leading to development of women and children are, health, family
welfare, Indian systems of medicine and homeopathy, education, labour, agriculture and co-
operation, rural development, urban employment, poverty alleviation, social justice and
empowerment, tribal affairs, science and technology, information and broadcasting, non-
conventional energy sources, small scale and agro related industries and youth affairs and
sports (Women and Children, 2007).
Women Empowerment
During the 11th Five Year Plan from 2007-2012, the WCD department is entrusted
with the implementation of programmes and schemes for the empowerment of women and
making provision of social security to them. The department is also entrusted to implement
the scheme and programme for child development (Women and Child Development, n.d.).
1. One time financial assistance to widows for the organization and performance of the
marriage ceremonies of their daughters improved from Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 25,000/- .
In the current financial year, 2500 women beneficiaries would benefit under the
scheme.
2. Pension to women in misery is being given to 78000 women beneficiaries through
ECS.
3. 104 Gender Resource Centres and 24 Extension Gender Resource Centres are
established in Delhi.
 4. Aawaz Uthao Collectives were established in Delhi amongst the socio-economically
backward sections of the societies and marginalized communities with the objective
to provide support and assistance to women in distress.
5. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for empowerment of Adolescent Girls (SABLA) was initiated
on a pilot basis in three districts. 1.67 Lakh Adolescent Girls benefiting under the
scheme.
6. Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojna (IGMSY) introduced on pilot basis in two
districts. 1365 No of eligible pregnant and lactating women were recognized and cash
transfer made to 340 women, which is the first in the country.
7. Mental Health Unit was launched at Nirmal Chaya Complex for providing counselling
services.
8. Two Shelter Homes in association with YWCA setup for impoverished, pregnant and
lactating women at Jahangirpuri and Sarai Rohilla areas of Delhi. These homes are
super-specialty homes and one of its own kind.
9. Under 'Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 1981 domestic Incident
reports were organized and 95 cases disposed of.
10. Two working women hostels were established at Dwarka and Rohini areas of Delhi
and soon will be made operational.
11. Distinctive fast track courts set up for the trial of rape victims on the initiative of the
Department.
12. Special coach for women was introduced in the metro trains.
13. Grant-in-aid to YWCA has been released to Working Women Hostel at Vishwas
Nagar.

Child Welfare
The various kinds of schemes relating to the child welfare have been stated as
follows: (Women and Child Development, n.d.).
1. Under the LADLI scheme, 19154 cases were sanctioned in the year 2010-2011.
2. Three HUB centres recognized in ICDS Projects Kondli, Okhla and Meethapur to
offer and establish quality services for children, pregnant and lactating mothers.
3. Setting up of de- addiction centre at the observation home for boys- II, at the Sewa
Kutir Complex, Kingsway Camp.
4. Initiation of the Found Children Website to facilitate the people to access information
of a missing child. The Website address is http://cwc.wcddel.in.
 5. Six Child Welfare Committees at various areas of Delhi, such as, Lajpat Nagar,
Mayur Vihar, Alipur, Kingsway Camp, Nirmal Chhaya, Shankar Market and
Connaught Place, New Delhi constituted for the children in need of care and
protection.
6. Three Juvenile Justice Boards constituted at Ferozshah Kotla and Kingsway camp for
juvenile in conflict with law.
7. 14th November is celebrated as “Children’s Day” in the lawns of the residence of
Hon’ble Chief Minister.
8. The organization of Diwali melas for all the residents of the homes in Nirmal Chaya
Complex.
9. Association with most of the NGO’s in the form of Non Formal Education
(Subhakshika). Vocational Education (Subhakshika and Sun Foundation), Mental
Health (Manas), restoration (Sathi) etc.
10. Special courts for trial of offences against children were established in Delhi amongst
the first in the country.
Programmes Relating to Nutrition
The programmes relating to nutrition have been stated as follows: (Women and Child
Development, n.d.).

Nutrition – The programmes that are implemented relating to nutrition are intended to
make improvements in the health and nutritional status of the children, pregnant and lactating
mothers in order to lead to a reduction in IMR, SBR and MMR and to rectify the nutritional
deficiencies of the old age people. The three major programs comprise of the Tamil Nadu
Government’s Nutritious Meal Program (NMP), Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutritious Project
(TINP) and Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS).

National Program for Nutritional Support to Primary Education Scheme – Under this
centrally sponsored scheme from 1995 onwards, the Government of India is supplying rice
free of cost to the individuals in their midday meals to the primary school children in selected
89 blocks in 14 districts of Tamil Nadu. The entire Tamil Nadu will implement this program
with the main motive of looking after the nutritional requirements of the primary school
children. During 1996-1997, 96 blocks will be covered in 16 districts. The distribution of rice
will be to the extent of 2.79 lakh quintals for 10 months.
 Hunger Free Area Program – The Government has initiated a hunger free area
program with an objective to eradicate the conditions of poverty and reduce hunger.
Universities and higher educational institutions are undertaking a detailed analysis of ongoing
poverty alleviation programs. The individuals who belong to wealthy families make provision
of food items, clothes, medicines and other articles to the individuals that are poverty stricken
and belong to deprived and marginalized communities. Poverty indicators include the
proportion of the families without land, livestock, other assets, female literacy, IMR and
families below the poverty line.

Other Child Welfare Programmes – The programmes that are implemented for the
welfare of the children under the social welfare sector, include setting of the orphanages, for
those children who are without families or any kinds of support, creches for children for
working and ailing mothers, cottages and shelters for children who are in need of care and
protection, prevention and eradication of female infanticide and promoting measures to lead
to the welfare of the girl child. The children who belong to deprived, marginalized and
underprivileged sections of the society are the ones that require care and support, therefore,
the initiation of child welfare programmes primarily look after the requirements of these
children.

Women’s Welfare – The economic and the welfare programmes in order to provide
rehabilitation to the women who are below the poverty line, widows, unemployed women,
who find it difficult to sustain their families, and deserted women. The following institutions
that implement these programs are, orphanages, co-operative societies, training centres,
production centres, service homes, service homes by the voluntary agencies, teacher training
institutes, and working women’s hostels. These organizations and institutions make provision
of support and assistance in order to lead to the welfare of the women residing in the
conditions of poverty, and seclusion.

Areas to be improved to Promote Women and Child Development

There are various areas that have been taken into consideration under this policy and
these have been stated as follows: (National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, 2001).

Violence against Women - All forms of violence against women, physical and
psychological, whether at the domestic or communal levels, including those arising from
practices, rituals or accepted beliefs shall be distributed with efficiency with a view to
disregard its incidence. Organizations and devices or schemes for support will be produced
and reinforced for the prevention of such violence, including sexual harassment at the
workplace and customs like dowry; for the reintegration of the victims of violence and for
taking operative action against the doers of such violence. A special emphasis will also be
laid on programmes and measures to deal with the trafficking of women and girls. There has
been prevalence of violence against women and children in all parts of the country, at the
roadsides and public places, therefore, it is important to implement measures in order to curb
crime and violence against women and children.
Rights of the Girl Child - All forms of discrimination against the girl child and
violation of her rights should be eliminated by undertaking strong procedures, both
preventive and punitive within and outside the family. These would communicate precisely to
stringent administration of laws against prenatal sex selection and the practices of female
foeticide, female infanticide, child marriage, child abuse and child prostitution and so forth.
Elimination of discrimination in the treatment of the girl child within the family and outside
and estimate of a positive image of the girl child will be dynamically nurtured. There will be
distinctive emphasis on the requirements of the girl child and earmarking of considerable
investments in the areas relating to food and nutrition, health and education, and in vocational
education. In the implementation of programmes for eliminating child labour, there will be a
special emphasis on girl children.
Mass Media - Media will be used to depict the images that are consistent with the
human dignity of the girls and women; the status of women and girls within the society
should be acknowledged. The Policy will explicitly attempt to remove the demeaning,
degrading and negative conventional stereotypical images of women and prevalence of crime
and violence against women. Private sector partners and media networks will be involved at
all levels to make sure that equal access is available for women, mainly in the area of
information and communication technologies. The media would be stimulated to develop
codes of conduct, professional guidelines and other self-regulatory devices to remove gender
stereotypes and produce balanced portrayals of women and men.
Measures Relating to Economic Wellbeing of Women and Children

The measures which lead to the economic wellbeing of women and children have
been stated as follows: (National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, 2001).

Poverty Eradication – Women comprise of majority of the population who are

residing below the poverty line. They reside within the conditions of extreme poverty and
backwardness; they remain confined within the households and carry out only the household
tasks and functions. They experience social discrimination to a major extent. There is a
requirement of procedures to make provision of social and economic options and to enhance
their abilities. This is one of the most important tools to lead to women’s equality and
empowerment (Gender Budgeting Scheme, n.d.).

Micro Credit - In order to augment women’s access to credit for consumption and
production, the formation of new, and reinforcement of the prevailing micro-credit devices
and microfinance institutions will be commenced so that the outreach of credit is improved.
The main purpose of micro-credit is to improve the financial status of the individuals,
belonging to socio-economically backward sections of the society. Other supportive measures
would be put into operation to make sure suitable flow of credit through existing financial
institutions and banks, so that all women below the poverty line have easy access to credit in
order to sustain their living conditions.
Women and Economy – Women’s perspectives will be included in the designing and
implementation of macro-economic and social policies by institutionalizing their contribution
in such procedures. The contribution of the women within the socio-economic development
of the society and the country will be acknowledged in the formal and informal sectors. The
formulation of appropriate policies and measures that are relating to employment and
working conditions of the women would be formulated and these would enable women to
improve their performance in all kinds of tasks and functions. Preparation of curriculum, raw
materials, equipment, and teaching aids enhance the performance of women in the
employment sector (Support to Training and Employment Program for Women, 2014).
Globalization - Globalization has offered innovative tasks for the recognition of the
objective of women’s equality, the gender effect of which has not been methodically
appraised completely. However, from the micro-level studies that were commissioned by the
Department of Women and Child Development, it is apparent that there is a need for re-
framing policies for access to employment and quality of employment. Advantages of the
emerging global economy have been irregularly disseminated leading to broader economic
disparities, the feminization of poverty, increased gender inequality through often weakening
of the working conditions and risky working environment, particularly in the informal
economy and rural areas. Strategies will be planned to improve the capability of women and
authorize them to cope up with the negative social and economic impacts, which may emerge
from the globalization process.
 Women and Agriculture – The role of women in the agriculture and the allied sectors
are improved by means of benefits of training extension and various programs that would
lead to an increase in their numbers. The programmes for the training of women are, soil
conservation, social forestry, dairy development, and other occupations that are allied to the
agricultural sectors such as, horticulture, livestock, including small animal husbandry,
poultry, fisheries and so forth that would lead to improvement in their living conditions.
Women and Industry – The fields of information technology, electronics, food
processing, agro industry and textiles have been developed because of the contribution that
women have rendered in them. The women would be given comprehensive support in terms
of labour legislation, social security, and various other support services in order to render
effectual participation in the industrial sectors. Measures are required to be implemented in
order to enable women to work night shifts within the factories; this will be put into operation
with the availability of safety measures and adequate transportation services.
Support Services – Women should be made available all kinds of support and safety
services in various areas. There has been prevalence of crime and violence against women
within the country, in their houses, at the public places and even at the workplaces. There
have been working women with small children, hence, facilities should be created so that
they are able to look after their small children and even handle their family responsibilities
adequately. The most important aspect of making provision of support services is to treat
women with decency and kindness.
Education – Women and girls should be provided with equal opportunities for
education and development of their skills. Any kinds of discrimination between girls and
women should be removed and they should be provided with all kinds of opportunities in
order to enhance their educational skills, vocational skills, improve the quality of education in
order to facilitate lifelong learning and development of technical skills. There should be a
reduction in the gender gap in secondary and higher education. There should be development
of the gender sensitive curriculum in order to address gender stereotyping as one of the
causes of gender discrimination.
Conclusion
The wellbeing of women and children are considered to be imperative areas in order
to lead to the development of the society and country. Women and mainly girl children have
been subjected to violent practices, such as, verbal abuse, physical abuse, rape, sexual
harassment, female infanticide and female foeticide. The women in rural areas are mainly
discouraged from acquiring any kinds of education and is meant to perform only the
household chores. They possess the responsibilities of bringing up the children and take care
of the other members of the household as well. In the present existence, there have been
initiation of women and child development programs, these have the main focus to enhance
the status of women and bring about effective growth and development of the children. The
individuals residing within the conditions of poverty and backwardness, are unable to meet
their nutritional needs, which is essential for mainly expecting women and children. The
programmes relating to nutrition are, National Program for Nutritional Support to Primary
Education Scheme, Hunger Free Area Program, Other Child Welfare Programmes and
Women’s Welfare.
The areas that are required to get improved upon in order to bring about women and
child development are, violence against women, rights of the girl child and mass media. In
rural areas, individuals formed this viewpoint that men can enhance the status and wellbeing
of the family and bring reputation, therefore, they desired only for the male children, whereas
there were practices of female infanticide and female foeticide, as females were considered to
be liabilities. These practices are required to be eliminated and males and females should be
considered and treated equally. The measures that are relating to the economic wellbeing of
women and children are, poverty eradication, micro credit, women and economy,
globalization, women and agriculture, women and industry, support services and education. It
is important to encourage women and children towards the attainment of education, when
individuals are educated, then they are able to carry out all activities and functions in their
lives in an appropriate manner and even acquire employment opportunities.
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