OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open access peer-reviewed journal
Urging policy formulation on Millets: An indispensable source of nutrition for Poraja, Kandha and Penthia tribal communities in Kundra Block, Odisha, India
Chaudhury Shripati Mishra a, Trinath Taraputia b, Benudhara Suchen c
a, b, c M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, Jeypore, Koraput, Odisha, India.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 11-18, 2014.
Abstract: Traditionally finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and little millet (Panicum sumatrense) have been regarded as major cereal crops in tribal communities of Kundra, Odisha state providing food and nutritional security. The influence of the food habits of urban population, distribution of cereals like rice by the Government of India at a subsidised rate/free of cost under social welfare programmes, lack of knowledge on scientific agronomic practices and absence of strategic policy planning for sustainable agriculture and food and nutritional security in tribal tracts of Odisha state have threatened the very existence of nutritious millets. Millets, known for their climate resilience and high mineral and vitamin content, are healthy cereals providing a great solution to the global challenge of food security under the present context of climate change. The present study highlights the traditional inter-linkage of three tribal communities namely Poraja, Kandha and Penthia with millets, planning of scientific interventions in participatory mode with the communities to promote millet production, consumption and commerce and study of the impact of interventions for policy formulation on sustainable agriculture and food and nutritional security. The encouraging outcomes with policy recommendations are disseminated at local, national and international levels involving all stakeholders such as government agencies, not for profit organisations, print and electronic media, scientific community, funding agencies, traders and farmers with a view of favourable policy formulation to ensure sustainable agriculture and enhance food and nutrition security in ancient tribal tracts of Eastern India.
Public Health in India: Challenges ahead
Anuj Sabharwal a, Payal Lamba b
a,b Amity Law School, Delhi Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dwarka, New Delhi.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 19-24, 2014.
Abstract: As the world’s largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world, India has experienced sea change since its independence in various facets of development. However as per public health is concerned, 22 % of our population is mal-nourished, 48 % of our nation’s children are stunted (UNICEF report) and which is already responsible for the two-third morbidity burden. Adding to existing glaring difference in access and equity to people, the ratio of beds in hospitals available to population in rural areas is fifteen times lower than that for urban areas. The ratio of doctors to population in rural areas is almost six times lower than that in the urban population. The reduction on public health expenditure and the growing inequalities in health care are taking its toll on the marginalized and socially deprived population. The Infant Mortality Rate in the poorest 20% of the population is 2.5 times higher than that in the richest 20% of the population.
The paper acknowledges the persistence of inequities despite increased investment and some improvements in service provision in recent years. The paper delves into multiple areas such as a) legislative/regulatory issues, b) organization and operational matters and thirdly c) the competing demands for finite resources. In India, however, pre-existing inequality in the healthcare provisions is further enhanced by difficulties in accessing it. These access difficulties can be due to geographical, socio-economic or gender variables. The paper also seeks to provide an overview of some of the issues relevant to equity of access to health and personal social services in Indian context. It also addresses the question of the contribution of health services to health status and further examines the principle of equity which is one of the key principles underpinning the National Health Strategy. Suffice to mention here that while many of the initiatives listed have the potential to improve the public health scenario, coherent implementation and monitoring framework have remained the challenges.
India ranks third in the South East Asia region in highest out of pocket expenditure on health even behind Nepal and Pakistan which have 49 % and 41 % respectively. The poor state of health of our country is evident from the WHO’s world health statistics 2012, where it was stated that in India 60 % of health expenditure was paid out of common man pocket in 2009. These health expenditures are exacerbating poverty with 39 million people going poor every year due to these expenditures. Per capita expenditure on public health is seven times lower in rural areas, compared to government health spending for urban areas. Though the spending on healthcare is 6% of GDP, the state expenditure is only 0.9% of the total spending and the rest of it is from people using their own resources. Thus only 17% of all health expenditure in the country is borne by the state, and 82% comes as ‘out of pocket payments’ by the people. This makes the Indian public health system grossly inadequate and under-funded. Only five other countries in the world are worse off than India regarding public health spending (Burundi, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sudan, Cambodia).
Further this paper will discuss strategies for removing this inequity and how to provide equal access of these health services without creating any burden on them. The basic objective of the reforms to be brought should be to provide the whole nation with basic medical and health services as a public product, and ensure that everyone, regardless of location, nationality, age, gender, occupation and income, enjoys equal access to basic medical and health services. The Government with a similar intention in mind has taken a step forward in introducing the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the 12th five year plan. The Public Private Partnership (P-P-P) model is extensively being used to cover the gap between the demands of supply health care and by making the public delivery system (primary healthcare facilities and hospitals) to deliver the agreed service package.
Therefore, until any concerted actions are taken to ensure that health systems are reached to the disadvantaged people more effectively, such inequities will continue. Undoubtedly, the menu of options are long out of which some are untried, but we cannot rely on a particular method since there is no guarantee that such method will be successful.
Keywords: Infant Mortality Rate; World health organization; Maternal Mortality Rate; Mal-Nourished; Stunted.
Building Blocks Of E- Governance: Strengthening The Democratic System
Anuj Sabharwal a, Payal Lamba b
a,b Amity Law School, Delhi Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dwarka, New Delhi.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 25-32, 2014.
Abstract: The concept of e-governance is the latest attempt in the series of efforts to bring the government and its functioning much closer to its citizens and further, to strengthen the functioning of the government. E- Governance could be a panacea for the ideal, transparent and fair government. The purpose is to make government and its various institutions accountable through the introduction of much transparent and speedier modes of good governance. This article examines the concept of e- governance and its benefits that would reinforce strength in the three pillars of good governance, that is, Accountability, Transparency and Participation.
The UPA government , which took over the reigns of administration in May, 2004 promised a transparent and corruption free governance. The Common Minimum Programme ( CMP) was declared by government to achieve these objectives Administrative Reforms Commission( ARC) was formed to promote e- governance on a massive scale. The 11th ARC Report focused on implementation of the e-governance reforms. The article further critically examines the recommendations and the feasibility of their implementation in the current state of reforms.
Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State Governments and Central Ministries to usher in an era of e-Governance. Sustained efforts have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the process of accessing them. In 2006, the Government approved the National e-Governance Plan (NEGP). The ultimate objective is to bring public services closer home to citizens. This article takes a deep insight into the policy initiatives and projects undertaken under the NEGP including National e-Governance Service Delivery Gateway (NSDG), State e-Governance Service Delivery Gateway (SSDG), and Mobile e-Governance Service Delivery Gateway (MSDG).
With the introduction of electronic government to demystify procedures and improve the citizen- government interface is called SMART( Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, Transparent) government. The E-governance system in developing countries has been applauded by the west. The article examines the e- governance projects and initiatives in other countries and draws a comparative analysis of US and European Union( EU) with India. The objective is to understand how far the policies have been successful in its implementation.
In India, the E- Governance has been most successfully implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government. Projects like AP Vision 2020, SmartGov, AP Portal, e- procurement are among the successful projects undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government to open the doors of progress and reforming the existing system of administration. Andhra Pradesh also won the Best E- governed state award in the year 2004-05. The e-Procurement project has also been listed in the “Top20 Programs: IBM Innovations in Transforming Government” Awards in the world by the Ash Institute of Harvard University. The article examines initiatives of the Andhra Pradesh government, its implementation and benefits. No government can ignore this electronic tool despite of the fact that such tool is yet to reach the rural areas. The article further seeks to motivate the other states of India to develop such e-governance programmes for faster and better information access, thereby, strengthening the democratic process.
Keywords : Administrative Reforms Report; Democracy E- Governance ; NEPG; India; NEPG; technology; US.
Protective clothing for the workers harvesting wheat – An Assessment in Punjab state
Rajdeep Kaur a, Sandeep Bains b
a Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ferozepur, India.
b Department of Apparel and Textile Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 33-42, 2014.
Abstract: Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is unquestionably the largest livelihood provider in India, more so in the vast rural areas. There are numerous problems for the workers particularly during harvesting of the cereal crops. To tackle with these problems, protective clothing was developed for the workers harvesting wheat. It is expected that the use of protective clothing will reduce their exposure to wheat husk (dust). According to the problems faced by the workers harvesting wheat, four protective garments (beak shaped mask, cap with mask, hood mask and scarf mask) were designed and developed to protect them from the health hazards. The level of acceptability and satisfaction of the functional features of these four protective garments were assessed separately. The respondents were satisfied with the functional features of beak shaped mask. All the respondents (100%) were highly satisfied with the protection, the cap with mask provided to them. Beak shaped mask, cap with mask, and scarf mask were developed and stitched using fine cotton fabric, whereas hood mask was designed and stitched using knitted cotton. The hood mask was not accepted by the respondents even for the trial purpose because it was uncomfortable due to the hot weather conditions prevailing in the state. All the respondents (100%) were highly satisfied with all the attributes of the scarf mask.
Keywords: dust, harvesting, protective garments, wheat
The challenge of nigeria local governments in the 21st century
Kunle Awotokun
Department of Local Government Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife, Nigeria
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 43-47, 2014.
Abstract: The Nigerian administration in 1976, made a concerted efforts to reform the local governments across the federation. This is usually referred to as “the 1976 Local Government Reforms”. The successive governments have tried to sustain the tempo of this great achievement which in the literature was referred to as a period of “watershed” in the near three decades of military interregnum in Nigerian Political Affairs. What gains have Nigerians made of this singular act of military ‘benevolence’? What are the challenges ahead of Nigeria in order to ensure her credibility in the comity of nations? These and others are the questions that this work intends to address.
Keywords: Reform, constitution, political structure
The Impact Of The Damodar Valley Project On The Environmental Sustainability Of The Lower Damodar Basin In West Bengal, Eastern India
Susmita Ghosh
Scottish Church College, 1&3, Urquhart Square, Kolkata– 700006, India
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 48-54, 2014.
Abstract: The Damodar Valley Project is the first major Multipurpose River Valley Development Project in Eastern India after the country became independent in 1947 from the British rule of over 200 years. Originating from the Khamarpet Hills (1050 meters above mean sea level) of the Chotonagpur Plateau in Jharkhand state and flowing thereafter over the heavily dissected plateau in the upper valley part in the west; the River Damodar enters the rolling plains of West Bengal in the east and taking a sharp right-angle bend, it ultimately joins the Bhagirathi – Hugli River (Ganga River) which falls into the Bay of Bengal. The Upper Damodar Basin is wide fan-shaped in nature where the up-valley hill slope is very steep in contrast to the Lower Damodar Basin which is very narrow and elongated with gentle topography. Again, the river flows just in opposite direction of rain – bearing south west monsoon wind. So, during the monsoon period, the lower Damodar Basin becomes saturated first with the monsoon water and when the south west monsoon wind reaches the Jharkhand state and there is heavy downpour; the rain water rushes through the Damodar and causes floods of various magnitude in the lower segment in each and every year. Therefore, devastating floods of high destructive nature were of regular occurrences for which the river was typically known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’.
Flood in the lower Damodar Basin has a long history since the first recorded flood of 1730. Apart from the small scale participatory initiative by the local people in managing floods by jacketing the lower course in order to restrict the spreading of the flood water of the Damodar River, the first worth-mentioning project on part of the British rulers was the excavation of the Eden Canal so as to divert the monsoon flood water into the Bhagirathi-Hugli River. However, this venture was not so effective in mitigating the agony of people of the lower Damodar Basin. The Government of India invited Mr.Voorduin, to prepare the project report. Finally, a Multipurpose River Valley Project under Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was initiated by the Government of India for the entire basin in 1948. In this Project known as Damodar Valley Project (DVP), four big dams viz. Tilaiya, Konar, Maithon and Panchet were constructed in the upper valley and a barrage at Durgapur in the middle valley segment instead of eight dams as proposed in the original plan due to shortage of funds.
This paper tries to trace out the objectives and implementation of the Damodar valley project in the upstream segment of the Damodar River and its impact on environmental sustainability of its lower valley segment within a period of fifty years of construction of big dams – the wonder of modern technological development f the 20th Century. Because of massive diversion of upper Damodar water into canals, the lower Damodar is now starved of its natural flow resulting gradually either de-linking of some of the distributaries from the mother Damodar river and / or a few surviving distributaries turning into kana nadi (blind river). Thus, life drainage has been modified into defunct drainage. Unfortunately, this created just the opposite reaction i.e. instead of controlling the natural flood; the lower Damodar basin is repeatedly devastated by the release of huge amount of water from the up valley reservoirs i.e. Man – made floods. Storing of monsoon rain water in dams and barrage further aggravated the problem of siltation in the river bed instead of replenishing the fertility of the land as the annual flushing was greatly checked. Therefore, lesser availability of surface water flow through rivers, have forced the farmers to tap ground water for which ground water level has gone down considerably. Therefore, there is a great impact of construction of big dams and barrages under the multipurpose river valley project on the environmental sustainability of the lower reaches of the mighty Damodar River.
Keywords: Dams, Defunct Drainage, Environmental Sustainability, Flood, Multipurpose project.
Sustainable Urban Tourism: A case of Omkareshwar
Harsimran Chadha a, Preeti Onkar b
a Department of Architecture and Interior Design, Indore Women’s Polytechnic College, Indore, India.
b Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 55-69, 2014.
Abstract: The interdependence between humans has increased many folds since the mid nineteenth century owing to the modernization and advancement in transport and communication. As a consequence, the demand for travel has greatly increased over the last few decades. While many travel for business or conventional purposes, others are traveling on leisure time to learn about other cultures, to develop their specific interests, and to seek entertainment. Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and is a major source of income for many countries. Being a service-oriented industry, tourism industry also provides many jobs that have helped revitalize local economies.
Tourism is being viewed as a cornerstone of urban development policies these days. It positively contributes to the development of towns and cities and the wellbeing of their residents. However, it does have a grey side also as it has a negative impact on environment, socio-cultural and economic issues. This implies that tourism is not wholly sustainable at present. Sustainable development has become widely accepted as the way to a better, more humane and socially responsible future. The larger set of people in this global society have made themselves sensitive towards preservation of environmental integrity, towards new methods of resource allocation and accounting.
With growing awareness towards sustainable tourism, this paper is aimed at understanding urban sustainable tourism and its parameters. The identification of indicators under these parameters is generated through extensive literature study. These would be further discussed by taking Omkareshwar as a case study and then critical analysis of sustainable urban tourism parameters with respect to Omkareshwar. Lastly it provides ways to mitigate the negative effect on environment, socio-cultural and economic issues by sustainable tourism approaches.
Keywords: Indicators; Parameters of sustainable Tourism; Sustainable tourism; Urban tourism
Inequality in Nagaland: A case study of ‘advanced’ and ‘backward’ tribes
T. Longkoi Khiamniungan
Centre for the Study of Social Systems (Sociology), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 70-79, 2014.
Abstract: This paper explores the inequality in Nagaland in terms of unequal development, social position and other related development activities which contributes to differentiate between the two that is ‘Advanced and ‘backward’ tribes. Social inequality is omnipresent, prevalent and resistant to social policies aimed at bringing about a substantial measure of equality in practice. Inequality is in fact inevitable and its presence is felt, not only in capitalist society where there is massive inequality of wealth and income, but also elsewhere in tribal society where there is no regulation of economic markets.
This study would also analyze how the advent of Christianity has led to the emergence of class divisions in certain context as there is a generation gap of different tribes. Today, Naga society is polarized into sections of stratified positions of so called ‘advanced’ and ‘backward’ tribes in Nagaland. The designation of ‘Backward Tribes’ has been tagged on the people who inhabit the eastern districts of Nagaland which borders with Myanmar in the East. And thereby the paper focuses on the four districts in Eastern Nagaland namely Mon, Longleng, Kiphire and Tuensang,
The paper is an attempt to look at how inequalities have multidimensional angles and therefore there is a need to understand in all aspects of social, political, economic and cultural inequalities. The emerging polarized society in this small state is a question of ill-governance of how some sections of people used their hegemonic power over the subaltern subjects. The study is primarily concerned with the challenges which generally observes that the society consist of equality and inequality actually do not exist in a tribal society. However, equality is a value and inequality is an empirical fact which exists in the modern society. And therefore locating the demand of its separate statehood as a result of unequal access to developmental issues in Eastern Nagaland in India. Thus, the question arises whether one needs to look at state’s functionaries or other possible means to which this particular section of people succumbed to their rights to have access to development.
The classification within the Naga tribes has been made with the view to give preferential treatment to those tribes who were lacking in certain spheres. However, the idea of developing and having equal share in all perspectives with an overall and an inclusive manner has met with little success. Nagas in Eastern Nagaland continue to remain ‘backward’ and less developed when compared with other districts and tribes of Nagaland.
The study also focuses to understand the State policies keeping in mind that Eastern Nagaland does need some special treatment and considerations in the development context specially. While I attempt to explain that genuine state policies positively led to access equal opportunity in the distributive aspects. Ensuring the capability of the backward sections, the state should attempt to bring equal status of human living conditions at least to the possible ways.
Basically, the paper is interested to unfold three categories unequal development, how Christianity played a vital role in imparting education to advanced tribes and now how they are dominating the minority tribes as a result of demanding its separate state in Eastern Nagaland.
Keywords: Class division, inequality, state policies, tribal society, eastern Nagaland.
Sustainability In The Three Dimensions Of Society- Urbanization, Food Insecurity And Agriculture
Maninder Singh Saini a, Rishav Jain b
a,b University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh India.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 80-92, 2014.
Abstract: In view of our present day knowledge concerning sustainability we usually are predisposed to follow the principles of sustainable development by the Bruntland Commission which have significant influence on present day issues of sustainability but the idea of earth and its entities being in symbiosis, in a matrix of interrelation was already there in our religious texts.
Pavan guru Pani Pita, Mata dharata mahat,
Divas raat doe daee dia, Khele sagal jagat. (Jap ji Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib Ji , 8)
In the holy book of the Sikhs Guru Nanak Dev says Air is vital force, Water the progenitor, the vast Earth is the mother of all, Days and Nights are nurses, fondling all creation in their lap. The Sikh Gurus showed the world, the way to appreciate the interdependence of living beings and their environment and the way to nurture this interrelationship.
Sustainability essentially involves maintaining non–reducing level of per capita well being over time. With coming of the concept of sustainability the line of distinction existing between Human and society got vanished, without this fragmentation there was a paradigm shift to understanding the various dimension of human society and their inter linkages along with the challenges we face. This paper reviews current thinking, and outlines these challenges with regard to the three very important dimension namely urbanization, food insecurity and agriculture.
Food production being the corner stone for sustained improvement in human well being and in reducing risks and shocks, without there being proper investment in our food systems, sustained improvements cannot be achieved. Despite there being a substantial increase in agriculture production yet the problem of food insecurity persists. Amongst the various reasons for growing food insecurity the key reason has been Urbanization and its consequential increase in population. Cyclical representations via flow charts have been used to give an outline of increasing food insecurity, where with increased food insecurity dependence on import increases, thereby reducing income level which in turn effects the access to food thereby leading to reduced nutritional intake, this results in migration of people from rural area in search of food, more importantly with this migration agricultural production further decreases and the cycle continues.
Sustainability in agriculture is gradually garnering support because in order to address the environmental concern as well as attaining food security, sustainability in agriculture is essential. It really is important to identify the basic ideas, practices and policies that constitute our concept of sustainable agriculture. Through this paper we have achieved in presenting the ideas, practices etc. of agricultural sustainability through a diagrammatic form and fragmenting the concept of agriculture sustainability to: Agro- environmental Sources, Inputs System, Socio-Economic system and the various Farming Systems. Effective agriculture forms a matrix or a framework around which the food security builds up but can this be done through a sustainable approach? The answer to this could be well explained through 1960’s Asian Agrarian policy for achieving multiple crop production level to increase food intake and increasing purchasing power, though there were sign of substantial gains in production level but late on it raised concern about sustainability due to excessive use of agro chemical inputs at the cost of environment.
Due to the outcome of certain social political and economic developments there is a growth of cities, changes in land use pattern. Urbanization has been connected with development process as an essential strand in contemporary economic system. But scholars have also contested that urbanization includes several factor of which social change is one factor. This urbanization process goes together closely with growing urban poverty and food insecurity.
In this paper outline for ideas of urban sustainability incorporating the concept of urban social sustainability, understanding the importance of urban ecology have been studied. Concept of urban farming is also important since it helps in reducing shocks in urban food supply thereby ensuring urban food security.
Growth of cities may be part of certain problems but equally it can also become the part of solution. Concept of governance both climate governance and metropolitan governance are important as they form the basis for the integrated urban planning.
The concept of sustainable agriculture will remain ever evolving in the coming years. For the society it really is important to identify the basic ideas, practices and policies that constitute the concept of sustainable agriculture. Urbanization has had a big impact on fundamental changes taking place in contemporary food system. The rapid unsustainable growth of cities is adversely affecting the basic Urban Support Service system which hampers the basic health of individuals. This Along with migration from rural area adds to growing number of urban slum dwellers further worsening food security.
Keywords: Food security, sustainability, education, ecology
Political Participation of Women: A Case study in India
Anuradha Chadha
Department of Law, Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus
Ladhewali, Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
Volume 07, Issue 02, Pg. 93-108, 2014.
Abstract: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,……birth or other status. However, it is the most unfortunate that women have suffered inferior position to men in almost all societies of world. In ancient India, the woman enjoyed equal status with men in all spheres of the life. Women of later periods spanning between the middle and modern ages have been denied their rightful place of honour and a vortex of innumerable caste and communal combinations, has paid scant regards for the education and welfare of women culminating in child marriage, sati, ban on widow marriage, and divorce, to name a few atrocities on them. The ability to challenge the subordination was seriously affected by the omission of women from positions of power in all its manifestations. The leaders of both pre and post independent India paid nothing but lip service to the upliftment of women in various walks of life including rightful representation in the legislatures, both at the centre and in the states, with the result that even now women do not enjoy place of pride in the power centres of legislation, administration and party leadership. At the international level also, on women’s issues, women’s political empowerment was at the center stage of all the discourses, but still, in any political system, participation of women is very low as compared to men right from the developed to developing countries. No doubt, the principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The Constitution of India guarantees adult franchise and provides full opportunities and framework for women to participate actively in politics. But it is pity that the decades following independence witnessed a decline in the participation of women in the politics. The state and society seem to be lagging behind in offering them political reservations that were long overdue. Of late, the Women’s Reservation Bill has been a political ball for nearly a decade and half. It has always triggered heated debates within Parliament and outside. The proposed legislation to reserve 1/3rd seats in the Parliament and State Legislatures for women was drafted first by the H D Deve Gowda-led United Front government. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996. Although it has been introduced in Parliament several times, the Bill could not be passed because of lack of political consensus. Though our Constitution and various other legislative enactments and different Commissions established for women from time to time have made a number of efforts for the achievement of the objective of gender equality, yet in actual practice, the planned efforts to emancipate women educationally, economically and particularly politically did not yield the desired results over the decades after independence. This paper deals with the women emancipation through its political participation. Realizing women’s subjugation and subordination and affirmative discrimination against women in general there has emerged the need of their empowerment – both political and economic. The objective of this paper is to support and encourage the enactment of the Women’s Political Reservation Bill. Additionally its aim is to stimulate the initiatives for stopping corruption, criminalization and communalization of politics, for enforcing stringent ceiling of funding expenses incurred for election campaigns and creating awareness in the society in order to inculcate the values of gender equality and gender justice. In order to achieve these objectives, the present work is based heavily on United Nations reports, International norms and conventions, Indian Constitutional provisions and other statutory enactments providing favourable laws rendering special privileges for the benefits of women, Government of India reports, NGO reports and important works by modern jurists who contributed a lot towards the evolution and growth of feminist jurisprudence and studies.
Keywords: Feminist Jurisprudence; Gender equality; Political Participation; Reservation; Women Empowerment.