CHAPTER - 1 INTRODUCTION The State of Tamil Nadu was carved out of the erstwhile Madras Province in 1956, comprising the Tamil speaking areas. Occupying 4% of the land area of the country it spreads over an area of 1,30,058 sq. km. It is situated along the East Coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal, dropping down to the Indian Ocean in the South. It shares its boundaries with Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The State is divided into 30 administrative districts and 385 Community Development Blocks. The urban part of the State comprises 6 Corporations, 104 Municipalities and cantonments, 611 Town Panchayats, 111 Census Towns (totaling to 283 urban local bodies). The rural part comprises 385 Panchayat Unions and 12,618 Village Panchayats. Sixty one per cent of the Village Panchayats have a population of 1,000 to 2,000 and 10% of the Village Panchayats have population below thousand. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of Tamil Nadu. Productivity levels of some of the crops are very high. The yield of rice amounting to 2.5 tonnes per hectare is among the highest in India. The sugarcane yield of 100 tonnes per hectare is a world record. The State is also the highest grower of banana in the country. Some of the Plantation crops like tea, coffee and cotton are extensively raised. The high productivity levels of the crops are also due to the State being among the highest irrigated zones of the country. Cauvery, Vaigai, Palar, Pennar, and Thamaraparani are the major rivers, which drain through the State. High level of conjunctive use of surface and ground water resources is a special characteristic of the State. The dry southern plains of the State are home for several dry crops groundnut, sesamum, pulses etc. Cotton textiles, cement, caustic soda and nitrogenous fertilizers, sugar etc. are some of the important industries in the State. Tamil Nadu accounts for one fourth of the countrys sugar production. State Development Corporations who provide industrial finance and technical and technological know-how, like the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) etc. have significantly helped industrial promotion. Industrial Estates and complexes have been created, dispersed in several parts of the State. Many of these complexes serve as industrial growth centres. Tamil Nadu represents the pre-Aryan Dravidian culture in India dating back to 6,000 years. The old ruling dynasties of Tamil Nadu shaped the cultural history of the State. The Cholas had a great military and martial tradition. They were also Empire builders. The Pandyas excelled in Commerce. The Sage poets, the Alvars and the Nayanars flourished during the times of the Pallavas. Great women poets and thinkers were (1) held in high reverence in Tamil literature. The status of women in Tamil Nadu evolved down centuries with ups and downs and a lot more remains to be done in enhancing the same. Status of Women in Tamil Nadu A Historical Road Map Historical Concept of Socialization Womens domestic and reproductive roles were emphasized: of Women Men live by action, but women within the precincts of home by their men a kuruntokai poem. Sangam Age Women had freedom of choice of partner; marriage was a contract, not a sacrament. Post Sangam Age Caste divisions were introduced; rituals turned marriage into a sacrament; severance was rendered impossible; chastity of married women became an obsession; widowhood became a punishment through isolation and rituals. Medieval Period Women started coming to the forefront. Examples: Karaikkal Ammaiyar and Andal who achieved literary and religious eminence. Rise of Bhakthi Movement: On the one hand provided liberating space for women and on the other became cause for degradation of another set of women devadasis. Later Period of Nayak Dynasty Polygamy became common practice. British Period Weakened some cultural norms impeding equitable status of women; in 1821, first girls school was opened in Chennai; in 1827, women were allowed to sit for University exams for the first time through the Madras University. Social Justice Reform Movement Under Periyar E.V. Ramasami Naicker; the Movement influenced public thought on caste, marriage customs, widow remarriage, child marriage, sati etc. Since 1920s Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy played key role in the passage of Devadasi Abolition Bill, 1927 and Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. The womens Indian Association led by Dr. Annie Besant in Chennai played key role in grant of suffrage rights to women in 1921; Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy became the first woman to become a member of the Legislative Council. Freedom Struggle Challenged old gender norms. (2) Source: Government of Tamil Nadu, Human Development Report, 2003 As of now, there are institutional arrangements aimed at promoting gender equity for women in the State. The important institutions are Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women, Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women and Department of Social Welfare. It is through these agencies that the Government implement policies and programmes relating to womens development. Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women is one among the two State Commissions that do not enjoy statutory powers. The State had moved from the concept of welfare to development of women. Since 1956 they have started Service Homes to take care of destitute and other women in need. 11,300 Mahila Mandals were formed in the community development period. It has pioneered many of the gender related schemes. Tamil Nadu had also concentrated in recent years on organizing women in Self Help Groups (SHGs) for their greater Social and Economic advancement. The State now had 1.5 lakh SHGs covering 2.5 million women. They had also included sex workers and trafficked women, eunuchs, disabled women in the formation of SHGs. The reach of several programmes was better with this organization. The State had undertaken World Bank Programmes for downtrodden sections, child labour, infanticide etc. The sex ratio in the state had improved from 974 in 1991 to 986 by 2001.1 (sic pasim) In economic and human development terms, Tamil Nadu is significantly better off in comparison with all India situation on several parameters: contributing a little over 7% of the gross GDP of the country at 1993-94 prices, the State per capita income is higher than the national. Proportion of population below the poverty line is lesser. The Human Development Index (HDI) and Gender Development Index (GDI) are higher indicating a higher level of social development in the State (Table 1.1). The district-wise HDI and GDI for Tamil Nadu are presented in Annexure Table 1.1. Table 1.1 Comparative Economic and Social Development Indicators Indicator Tamil Nadu India Population (Million) 2001 census 62.11 1027 2000-01 2001-02 2000-01 2001-02 GDP/GSDP (Rs.Crore) At 1993-94 prices 90638 93066 1198685 1265429 At current prices 141150 148585 1917724 2094063 NSDP/NDP (Rs.Crore) At 93-93 prices 80139 81813 1062616 1123543 At Current prices 126100 13108 10306 10754 1. Excerpt from the Minutes of the meeting of the National Commission for Women with Chief Secretary and Other Secretaries on 20.02.2004 placed at Appendix 1. (3) Indicator Tamil Nadu India Per Capita Income (in Rs.) at constant prices 12944 13108 10306 10754 Per Capita Income (in Rs.) at current prices 20367 21239 16707 17978 Population living below the poverty line, 1999-2000 21.12 26.10 HDI value 1991 0.466 0.481 2001 0.531 0.657 0.571 GDI value 2001 0.654 0.553 Source: Compiled from data given in Tamil Nadu An Economic Appraisal 2001-2002. Analysis of the Budget Expenditure on Women and Child Development during 1993-94 to 2002-2003 was the Society for Applied Research in Education & Development, in January 2004. Accordingly to their compilation, per capita expenditure on women development in Tamil Nadu increased from Rs. 18.27 in 1993-94 to Rs. 50.90 in 2000-2001. Tamil Nadu showed the second highest per capita expenditure after Haryana in 2000-01. It worked out to 0.257% of the Net State Domestic Product, a much higher proportion than many other States. The ration of expenditure on women development to total revenue expenditure is also very significant at 1.55% which is much higher than most of the States. Tamil Nadu has formulated ambitious goals for the Tenth Five Year Plan. If these goals are achieved, the State would be reaching a much higher social development level than the national average. The monitorable targets for the Tenth Five Year Plan have, accordingly, been placed higher than for All India and are presented below: Monitorable Targets for Tenth Tamil Nadus Five Year Plan Economic Growth ● To ensure economic growth of 8 per cent per annum with an ICOR of 3.26 in the Tenth Plan and 4 per cent in Agriculture and Allied Sectors. ● Investment requirement at Rs.262502 crore (Rs.40000 crore as State Sector outlay, Rs.48000 crore as Central Sector outlay and the remaining Rs.174502 crore from Private and Foreign Direct Investments). ● Doubling of per capita income by 2010. ● Widening of tax-base and improving collections. ● Reduction in subsidies and administrative overheads. Fiscal Growth ● To bring the fiscal deficit from the present level of 3.6 per cent of GSDP to 1.5 per cent by end of the Tenth Plan. (4) ● To bring revenue deficit to revenue receipts from the present level of 19 per cent to 0 by the end of the Tenth Plan. Poverty Reduction ● To reduce poverty ratio from 21.12 per cent in 1999-2000 to 10 per cent by 2007 and aiming at near elimination by 2012.