The Eleventh and the Twelfth Plan

The idea of ‘Inclusive Growth’ related to inclusion of various marginalized groups, of which the women category has also been specifically addressed too. The Current Plan has also to take up various provisions which include the – All India Mahila Bank and the Nirbhaya Fund.

The 12th Five Year Plan Working Group (WG) on ‘Women’s Agency and Empowerment’ builds on the view that development is a process of expanding freedoms equally for all individuals, and considers gender equality as a core development goal in itself. It expands the definition of women’s empowerment by looking at it as a process, which enables women to have a notion of dignity and self-worth, bodily integrity, freedom from coercion and control over resources. It affirms that empowerment is achieved when, along with the condition of women, their position improves and their freedoms and choices are enlarged economically, socially and politically. Empowerment must enable all women to negotiate these freedoms and increase their

capabilities. The overall framework takes steps to advance substantive equality by addressing the causes and consequences of social, economic and political exclusion on all women especially the dalits, tribals,minorities, women with disability, migrant, displaced and trafficked women, women in the unorganized workforce, women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, single and excluded women especially widows and women in conflict zones.

The Plan advocates a shift from mere ‘income’ poverty of women to the adoption of a ‘multi- dimensional’ approach to poverty and wellbeing. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) complements the income poverty measures by reflecting all the other deprivations with respect to education, health and living standard that a poor person simultaneously faces.

Overall review of the Plans Since the planning period began in 1951, a number of programmes have been designed and implemented for women's empowerment. But all these efforts have not been able to remove gender discrimination inherent in such sectors as family life, health, education, employment and political participation. Dedicating one year to women's empowerment or one decade to girl children will not automatically bring about women's emancipation. There must be a commitment to make all these programmes functional in a way as to remove gaps between men and women on the one hand, and among women of different groups on the other. The need of the hour is an Action Plan, which believes in action and not just in taking about women.