India's National Intervention at UN CSW-70
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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Development Paradigm: BEFORE, government policies primarily viewed women as passive beneficiaries of welfare schemes; NOW, the official state policy and international stance have shifted to 'Women-Led Development', placing women as active drivers of economic growth.
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Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR): BEFORE, the FLFPR was steadily declining, hitting a low of 23.3% in 2017-18; NOW, as per the 2023-24 PLFS data cited at the UN, it has rebounded significantly to 41.7%.
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Grassroots Dispute Resolution: BEFORE, rural women relied heavily on overburdened formal judicial systems or deeply patriarchal Khap Panchayats; NOW, the 'Nari Adalat' system under Mission Shakti's 'Sambal' sub-scheme provides a localized, alternative grievance redressal mechanism at the Gram Panchayat level.
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Nari Adalat Composition: BEFORE, local mediation was male-dominated; NOW, Nari Adalats consist of 7 to 11 female members called 'Nyaya Sakhis', headed by a 'Mukhya Nyaya Sakhi', ensuring gender-sensitive counseling and mediation.
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Women's Financial Collectivization: BEFORE, rural credit was highly fragmented with low female financial inclusion; NOW, under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), over 90 lakh (9 million) SHGs have been integrated into the formal banking sector, enabling initiatives like 'Lakhpati Didi'.
What Did NOT Change
Despite the numerical surge in FLFPR, structural quality-of-work issues persist, as much of the growth is concentrated in unpaid family labour, own-account work, and the agricultural sector rather than formal salaried jobs. Furthermore, deep-rooted gender wage gaps and the unequal burden of unpaid domestic care work remain largely unchanged across rural and urban landscapes.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Common Misconceptions
✗ The recent rise in India's FLFPR to 41.7% means millions of women have secured formal, high-paying corporate or industrial jobs.
✓ The increase is largely driven by rural women engaging in self-employment, unpaid family labour, and agriculture, often as a distress-driven response to supplement household income.
People equate 'labour force participation' strictly with formal salaried employment, ignoring that the PLFS measurement includes unpaid helpers in household enterprises and casual agricultural labor.
✗ Nari Adalats are formal statutory courts with the power to sentence offenders and pass binding legal judgments.
✓ Nari Adalats are alternative dispute resolution forums focused on counseling, negotiation, and mediation, with no formal statutory judicial powers to issue binding legal decrees.
The term 'Adalat' translates to 'Court', leading many to falsely assume these bodies hold the same constitutional jurisdiction as a Magistrate or Civil Court.
Practice Questions
Q1
How Many CorrectConsider the following statements regarding the 'Nari Adalat' initiative highlighted during India's gender justice interventions: 1. It is implemented as a component of the 'Samarthya' sub-scheme under Mission Shakti. 2. It operates at the Gram Panchayat level and comprises 7 to 11 members known as Nyaya Sakhis. 3. It has been granted statutory judicial powers to pass binding civil decrees in property disputes. How many of the above statements are correct?
Q2
Match the FollowingMatch the policy frameworks/concepts (List I) with their primary objectives or characteristics (List II): List I: A. Sambal B. Samarthya C. Nari Adalat D. DAY-NRLM List II: 1. Umbrella sub-scheme focused on women's economic empowerment. 2. Umbrella sub-scheme focused on the safety and security of women. 3. Institutional platform for mobilizing over 9 million rural women's Self-Help Groups. 4. Alternate grievance redressal mechanism relying on negotiation and mediation.
Q3
Assertion & ReasonAssertion (A): While India's Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) has sharply increased to 41.7% in 2023-24, economists caution against viewing this purely as an indicator of comprehensive economic empowerment. Reason (R): A significant portion of the recent increase in female employment is concentrated in unpaid family labour and agricultural own-account work, reflecting distress-driven employment rather than formal job creation. Select the correct answer: