Women empowerment- Changing the perception of the whole society

“When women move forward, the family moves, the village moves and the nation moves” words of Jawaharlal Nehru about the status of women that is closely associated with their economic position, which in turn depends upon their access to productive resources of the country and the opportunities for participation in socio-economic activities. Women constitute half of the world's population and contribute substantially to the all round development of the world. However, majority of them are the poor, oppressed, under privileged and discriminated. A review of government's various programmes for women empowerment such as Swashakti, Swayamsidha, Streeshakti, Balika samrudhi yojana and another two thousand projects reveal that little has been done or achieved through these programmes. The discrepancy in the ideology and practice of the empowerment policy of women in India constitutes its continued social, economic and social backwardness. Women make up 52% of our country's population. Hence there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Empowerment would not hold any meaning unless they are made strong, alert and aware of their equal status in the society. Policies should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of society. There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of women's emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share.