SOIL Report 2008 - ACCESS Development Services

Policy: Pathways to Sustainable Livelihoodsscheme for skills training of women. The Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) will also be integrated with theSTEP scheme in the 11th Plan. Several social empowerment schemes such as relief and rehabilitation ofrape victims, condensed course of skill training and vocational training for adult girls, maternity benefitscheme for women and mass media for awareness generation on issues relating to the status, rights andproblems of women will be implemented in the 11th Plan. Leadership Development of Minority Womenwill be implemented as a pilot scheme reaching 35,000 to 50,000 women.The 10th Plan directed both central and state governments to follow a special strategy of Women’sComponent Plan (WCP). This was to be achieved by allotting a minimum of 30 per cent of the funds/benefits to women from all the general departments. This was to be monitored through a mechanismof Gender Budgeting Units to be set up in all departments. Initially, only 15 departments accepted theprocess, but now gender budgeting is mainstreamed in many departments, with some allocating 30 percent of their budgets, and some dedicating schemes where 100 per cent of the money is spent on andfor the welfare of women. The 13 departments that spent over Rs 151 crore are shown in Box 3.6.Box 3.6: Gender Budgeting Departments• Rural development• Health & family welfare• School education & literacy• Higher education• Agricultural• Women & child development• Tribal affairs• Social justice & empowerment• MSME• Youth affairs & sports• Textile/handloom/handicraft• Housing & urban poverty alleviationThe effects of gender budgeting are not yet analysed, though there are indications that it highlightswomen’s needs and helps overcome many constraints they face in access to official resources.The quota system has opened the door for women to influence local governance and developmentplanning at the grassroots, though a lot of ground remains to be covered in capacity building of women torepresent their constituencies better and improve their leadership abilities. Similar success in establishinga quota for women in Parliament, has, however, not yet been achieved, where women currently hold only9.2 per cent of the seats (Wichterich, 2008).10. New emphasis on education, health and other basic public facilities willwork towards creating adequate human resources necessary for growthThe 11th Plan proposes to cater to the needs of the most vulnerable children such as street children,trafficked children, children affected by conflict or calamities, children of sex workers, child labourers,children with HIV/AIDS, victims of child sex abuse, differently-abled children, and juvenile delinquents.The means envisaged to ensure their secure childhood, in addition to child-care and primary educationare adoption, rescue and rehabilitation, juvenile police units, shelter homes, counselling and medicalThe 11thPlan alsoseeks toincreaseadultliteracy to85 per centby the endof the 11thPlan and inthe processgive specialattentionto bridgingregional,social andgender gaps.73