CMYK Annual ReportAnnual 2002 - 2003 Annual Report 2002-2003 Department of Women and Child Development Women Department of Ministry Development of HumanResource Government ofIndia Government Department of Women and Child Development Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India CMYK CMYK To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is mans injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably mans superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman? Mahatma Gandhi Designed and produced by: Fountainhead Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd email: [email protected] CMYK Annual Report 2002-03 Department of Women and Child Development Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 An Overview 7 Chapter 3 Organization 17 Chapter 4 Policy and Planning 25 Chapter 5 The Girl Child in India 43 Chapter 6 Programmes for Women 73 Chapter 7 Programmes for Children 91 Chapter 8 Food and Nutrition Board 111 Chapter 9 Other Programmes 117 Chapter 10 Gender Budget Initiative 127 Chapter 11 Child Budget 143 Chapter 12 National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development 153 Chapter 13 Central Social Welfare Board 163 Chapter 14 National Commission for Women 173 Chapter 15 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh 183 Annexures 189 Introduction O Lord, why have you not given woman the right to conquer her destiny? Why does she have to wait head bowed By the roadside, waiting with tired patience Hoping for a miracle in the morrow Rabindranath Tagore Introduction The Department of Women and Child Development was set up in 1985 as a part of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to give the much-needed impetus to the holistic development of women and children. In its capacity as a nodal agency looking after the advancement of women and children, the Department formulates plans, policies and programmes, enacts and amends legislation affecting women and children and guides and coordinates the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the field of women and child development. Apart from this, the Department implements certain innovative programmes for women and children. These programmes are in the areas of training and capacity building, employment and income generation, welfare and support services, and awareness generation and gender sensitization. The ultimate objective of all these programmes is to make women independent and self-reliant and to ensure that children grow and live in a healthy and secure environment. 3 Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, presenting the National Bravery Awards 1.1.2 For the empowerment of women the Department took Committee, composed of officials and many initiatives during the year. The Government had declared non-official experts, be set up in the the year 2001 to be the Women's Empowerment Year. The Year Department of Women and Child was formally launched by the Prime Minister on 4 January 2001 Development, to review and monitor in a glittering function at Vigyan Bhawan, when the first Stree the existing schemes, programmes Shakti Puraskars were also awarded to five distinguished and mechanism for the welfare, women for their outstanding contribution for the upliftment development and empowerment of and empowerment of women. Each month of the year was women on a continuing basis during dedicated to a particular theme around which a series of the Tenth Plan period. The Task Force programmes and activities were taken up at the national, state also recommended amendments to and local levels by the Central and State Governments, civil twenty-two legislations related to society, academic and research institutions, and private sector women. All these amendment and voluntary organizations. The celebration of the year was proposals are being pursued with the officially closed on International Women's Day on 8 March 2002 concerned ministries and departments in a function jointly organized by the Department with the in the Government. Ministry of Science and Technology on the theme of 'Women 1.1.4 The Protection from Domestic and Science'. Violence Bill 2002 was introduced in 1.1.3 The Task Force set up under the chairpersonship of Shri the Lok Sabha on the occasion of K.C.Pant, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission to International Women's Day on 8 March review the laws and the programmes on women completed its 2002. It was referred to the Standing deliberations and submitted its final report in April 2002. The Committee of Parliament attached to Task Force recommended that an Inter-Ministerial Standing the Ministry of Human Resource 4 Annual Report 2000-2003 1. Introduction Development for its examination. The 1.1.6 Nearly 1.2 million anganwadi Standing Committee presented its workers and helpers, who constitute report on the Bill to both Houses of the backbone of the ICDS programme, Parliament on 12 December 2002. have been rendering their services for While agreeing with the underlying the early childhood c are with a philosophy, approach and most of the honorarium of only Rs.500 and Rs.240 provisions of the Bill, the Committee respectively per month. Keeping in has recommended some changes in view the long-standing demands of the Bill, which are under consideration the anganwadi workers and of the Department. multifarious services performed by them, the Government decided to 1.1.5 For the holistic development double the honorarium of the of the child, the Department has been anganwadi workers and helpers with implementing the Integrated Child effect from 1 April 2002. Development Services (ICDS), which provides a package of services 1.1.7 The Department has formulated a Bill for setting up a comprising supplementary nutrition, National Commission for Children on the pattern of the National immunization, health check up and Human Rights Commission to safeguard the constitutional and referral services, pre-school non-formal legal rights of children. A draft bill for setting up the National education and health and nutrition Commission for Children is in the final stages of approval and is education. Started in 1975-76 in expected to be introduced in Parliament during 2003. The 33 blocks, the programme has spread Department has also drafted a National Charter for Children that its network throughout the length is in the final stages for approval. and breadth of the country, making it the world's largest outreach programme for early childhood care and protection. Nearly six lakh anganwadi centres are now in operation providing day care services to 63.81 lakh pregnant and lactating mothers and 295.89 lakh children below six years of age. Significant efforts were made during the year to increase the coverage of children and pregnant and lactating mothers and to improve the quality of services through intensive monitoring at every level. The entire system of training anganwadi workers was completely revamped with the involvement of a large number of training centres in the states and complete restructuring of the syllabus. 5 1.2.1 The autonomous organizations of the Department, programmes. These organizations are namely the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child also contributing in a big way as think Development (NIPCCD), Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), tanks, advocates and watchdogs of the and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) and the statutory body of development initiatives for the National Commission for Women (NCW) continued their existing empowerment of women and and special programmes during the year. development of children. 1.3.1 The Department continued to recognize the contributions and the potential of rich and vibrant civil society 1.4.1 The following chapters of the organizations, specially the women's groups, all over the country Annual Report broadly cover the main and forged a strong partnership with them for the activities of the Department during the implementation of many of its innovative schemes and year 2002-03. 6 Annual Report 2000-2003 An Overview If only the women of the world would come together they could display such heroic non-violence as to kick away the atom bomb like a mere ball. Women have been so gifted by God. If an ancestral treasure, lying buried in a corner of the house unknown to the members of the family, were suddenly discovered, what a celebration it would occasion. Similarly womens marvellous power is lying dormant. If the women of Asia wake up, they will dazzle the world. My experiment in non-violence would be instantly successful if I could secure womens help. Mahatma Gandhi An Overview The year 2002-03 was very eventful for the targets in the social, economic and environment Department and the organizations working under sectors to be achieved during the Plan period. its jurisdiction. It was the first year of the Tenth Plan; Out of 15 such targets at least three were related it was also the beginning of the Golden Jubilee year directly to women and children. These are of Central Social Welfare Board and end of the first (a) reduction of gender gaps in literacy and wage decade of National Commission for Women. It was rates by at least 50 per cent, (b) reduction of infant also the year of United Nations General Assembly mortality rate (IMR) to 45 per 1000 live births and Special Session on Children. These and numerous (c) reduction of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to other events and activities made the year two per 1000 live births.