Eleventh Five Year Plan

Towards Women’s Agency and Child Rights 185economic, social, psychological etc., (iv) ensure theparticipation and adequate representation of womenat the highest policy levels, particularly in Parliamentand State assemblies, and (v) strengthen existing institutionalmechanisms and create new ones for gendermain-streaming and effective policy implementation.6.6 The child development approach in the EleventhPlan is to ensure that children do not lose their childhoodbecause of work, disease, and despair. It is basedon the understanding that the rights of all children,including those who do not face adverse circumstances,must be protected everywhere and at all times so thatthey do not fall out of the social security net. Successfulintegration of survival, development, protection,and participation policies are important for the overallwell being of the child. The essence of the EleventhPlan strategy for Women Agency and Child Rights issummarized in Box 6.1.MONITORABLE TARGETS FOR THEELEVENTH PLAN6.7 The Eleventh Plan lays down six monitorabletargets• Raise the sex ratio for age group 0–6 from 927 in2001 to 935 by 2011–12 and to 950 by 2016–17.• Ensure that at least 33% of the direct and indirectbeneficiaries of all government schemes are womenand girl children.• Reduce IMR from 57 to 28 and MMR from 3.01 toone per 1000 live births.• Reduce malnutrition among children of age group0–3 to half its present level.Box 6.1Essence of the Approach• Recognition of the right of every woman and child todevelop to her/his full potential• Recognition of the differential needs of different groupsof women and children.• Need for intersectoral convergence as well as focusedwomen and child specific measures through MoWCD• Partnership with civil society to create permanent institutionalmechanisms that incorporate the experiences,capacities and knowledge of VOs and women’sgroups in the process of development planning.• Reduce anaemia among women and girls by 50%by the end of the Eleventh Plan.• Reduce dropout rate for primary and secondaryschooling by 10% for both girls as well as boys.STATUS OF WOMEN: A BRIEF OVERVIEW6.8 Due to the untiring efforts of the women’smovement, the country amended and enactedwomen-related legislations during the Tenth Plan. TheMarried Women’s Property Act (1874), the HinduSuccession Act (1956) were amended and the Protectionof Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA)(2005) was passed. The Union Budget 2005–06, for thefirst time, included a separate statement highlightingthe gender sensitivities of the budgetary allocationunder 10 demands for grants. Gender Budgeting Cellswere set up in 52 Central ministries/departments toreview public expenditure, collect gender disaggregateddata, and conduct gender-based impact analysis. UnderWomen Component Plan (WCP), efforts weremade to ensure that not less than 30% of funds/benefitsunder various schemes of all ministries/departmentswere earmarked for women. The performancehowever has been far from satisfactory. The Mid TermAppraisal of Tenth Plan revealed that while 42.37% ofthe GBS to the Department of Education flowed towomen under WCP, only 5% of the GBS of Ministryof Labour (against 33.5% in the Ninth Plan) wentto women in the first three years of the Tenth Plan.Several ministries and/or departments that hadBox 6.2Schemes (major) for Women during Tenth Plan• Swayamsidha—Implemented in 650 selected blocks.Target: 16000 SHGs. Achievement: 1767.• Support to Training and Employment Programme forWomen (STEP)—Target: provide training to 2.5 lakh.Achievement: 2.31 lakh.• Swawlamban Scheme—Target: 5 lakh. Achievement:2.32 lakh.• Hostels for Working Women—Target: construct 125hostels benefiting 12500 women. Achievement: 111hostels were constructed during the Plan benefiting6976 women.• Swadhar—To provide shelter, food, clothing, and careto the women living in difficult circumstances. No specifictarget. Achievement: 21464 women benefited.