Steps Taken to Promote Gender Equality

The Government of India regularly conducts awareness generation programmes and publicity campaigns on rights of women including gender sensitization through workshops, fairs, cultural programmes, seminars, training programmes etc. through the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) and through the autonomous institutions under the Ministry including the National Commission for Women (NCW) and National Institute of Public Corporation and Child Development(NIPCCD). Advertisements are regularly brought out in the print and electronic media to create awareness in this regard.




Article 15(3) of the Constitution of India empowers the State to make special provisions for women and children. The Government of India has already enacted a number of legislations to address gender based discrimination. Ministry of Women & Child Development implements the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (SABLA) for the all round development of adolescent girls of 11-18 years.




The Human Development Report, 2011of the United Nation provides the following information with regard to gender discrimination:

Country Seats in National Parliament* (% for women) Labour force participation rate** (%) women Population with atleastSecondary Education*** (% ages 25 and older) Bangladesh 18.6 58.7 30.8 India 10.7 32.8 26.6 Nepal 33.2 63.3 17.9 Sri Lanka 5.3 34.2 56 * Proportion of seats held by women in a lower or single house or an upper house or senate, expressed as percentage of total seats. ** Proportion of a country’s working-age population that engages in the labour market, either by working or actively looking for work, expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. *** Percentage of the population ages 25 and older that have reached secondary education. This was stated by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on March 13, 2013.