India's economy has experienced a gradual transformation since independence. The economic growth of India is the result of the contributions of the citizens, policy makers and the expansion plans adopted from time to time. When we talk of the contributions in the economic growth, the role of women cannot remain unobserved. Today, due to forces of globalisation and liberarlisation, India is experiencing a wave of transformation in its growth and any strategy aimed at economic growth will be incomplete without inclusion of women.
Inclusive growth refers to both the velocity and the pattern of the economic growth. It aims at sustainable economic growth allowing people to contribute and in return benefit from economic growth. In a way, inclusive growth is a long-term concept, which makes sure that everyone is included in the development and growth process of the country. It means ensuring the contributions of all in economic development regardless of their gender, caste, disability, race, religion etc. As per Census data 2011, the sex ratio (females per 1000 males) is 940. Therefore, Women need a special attention with reference to inclusive growth. As per the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, the principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only guarantees equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. Although various laws have been formulated for the empowerment of women in India, but we should not forget gender discrimination is so deep rooted in Indian society that mere formulation of rules and regulations would not serve the purpose. Building theoretical frameworks alone cannot fulfill the objective of women empowerment. There is a need of building women's capacity through training and non-formal education so that they are able to access and exterminate the root causes of both social and financial inequality in local communities. This would facilitate them to achieve self-reliance and sustainability. The present seminar has been planned to achieve the following objectives:
- To ignite the deliberations for bridging the gap between the regulations and the ground reality of the position of women in Indian society.
- To discuss the role of women in India's inclusive growth and how women empowerment can increase the velocity of inclusive growth, through capacity building.
- To discuss the issues to be tackled to streamline the existing programmes on women empowerment.
The deliberations would result in some concrete solution, which will help the regulators as well as the society to strengthen the position of women and thus speeding up the inclusive growth of Indian Economy.
SUB THEMES
- Indian Economy and Women Empowerment
- Promoting Robust and Sustained Inclusive Growth
- Dealing with Gender inequalities: Some Policy Options
- Enhancing and Enabling Environment for Business and Investment Climate for women entrepreneurs.
- Socio-Economic Women Empowerment
