Women

1
Women

• Significant advances in language
• Lots of issues are tucked inrevisiting the two
  child norm, recognising VAW as a public health
  issue, recognition of needs of women with
  alternative sexualities, etc.
• Approach marks a radical shift
• Crosscutting approachrecognising the centrality
  of women across all sectors
• Cross layered strategy to address specific needs
  of groups recognising that these groups are not
  homogenous
• Rightly places women in the larger context and
  calls for strengthening of PDS, revising BPL
  norms.

2
From a CS Engagement/Monitoring Lens

• Partnership with CSOs in creating permanent
  institutional mechanisms that incorporate the
  experiences, capacities and knowledge of VOs and
  womens groups is in the Essence of the
  Approach.
• Seeks womens inputs in Action Plans to be drawn
  up at the National and State level.
• Implementation of schemes like Working Womens
  Hostel and Muslim Women Leadership Development
  Scheme and other schemes by Central Social
  Welfare Board.
• Monitoring Role too-- Use of Lok Adalats and Jan
  Sunwahis

3

• Monitoring resources, especially since gt97 is
  going to children continues to be a serious
  concern.
• Watch out for commitments which donot have any
  budgetary allocationlike National Task Force for
  VAW in Zones of Conflict.
• Puts the onus on MWCD to appoint Protection
  Officers for DV Act and commits to set up
  district level cells for monitoring and
  implementation of the plans.
• Taking Gender Budgeting and Gender Based Plans
  to PRIs.
• More pro-active roles
• a. in state-plans and district level planning
• b. in Mid Term Appraisal
• In monitoring that the ambitious targets are met

4
Children

• For the first time you have the rights language
  in a Plan document
• Attempt to build consensus on who is a child
• Cross cutting and multi-pronged approach has been
  attempted. For the first time, this document,
  makes cross cutting linkages with other MoL, MHRD
  
• Acknowledging the need to strengthen existing
  implementation mechanisms.
• Overall perspective is the need to create a
  protective environment for children. ICPS has
  been formulated, money had been allocated for two
  years and it is just waiting to be IMPLEMENTED!

.
5

• Calls for adequate budgeting for children.
• ICDS has been overhauled but the issue of hot
  cooked meal remains.
• Funds bypassing state budgets for instance ICPS
  provisions to be transferred to autonomous bodies
  now running the programmes.

6
Role of CS

• a. In ensuring that goals and targets are
  reflected in policies and programmes
• b. In this overarching emphasis on PPPwe need to
  monitor that states don't abdicate their
  responsibility.
• c. In tracking and monitoring funds for children
  (Child budgeting at a very preliminary level and
  the need to strengthen and deepen the approach).

7
Minorities

• Most important issue for muslims is sense of
  security and dignity and the planning exercise
  should try to address these core issues too.
• Although the word muslims come across the
  document, in many chapters, one often sees good
  words and good ideas but no money for it.
• Most important for minorities is the Prime
  Ministers 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of
  Minorities which cuts across different programmes
  and ministries but how do we monitor this.
• MMA has an allocation of 7000 crores but most of
  it goes in the scholarship scheme. There is a
  need to monitor these funds.
• How much of this is being spent?
• Who is benefitting?
• Is it reaching muslim girls?
• Pilot scheme for Leadership Development Scheme
  for Muslim Womenneed to work with the ministry
  in the implementation of the programme.

8
CS Engagement

• Working closely with Ministry of Minority Affairs
  and with all the other ministries too.
• Monitoring the Prime Ministers 15 Point
  Programme. Need to set up units to monitor
  these processes. There is a need to
  institutionalise these processes within the PC.
• Implementation of the Leadership Development
  Scheme for Muslim Women

9
Dalits

• Call for implementation of proportionate
  allocation of resources
• Development Planning means resource allocations
  for equitable growth for everyone in this
  country.
• For ineffective implementation of schemes too,
  the onus is on the state.
• Guidelines set out in the XIth Plan, not followed
  in the Plan itself.
• Need for designing a special mechanism for
  effective implementation of these commitments
• Involving dalits in the planning process, without
  which inclusive growth is meaningless.
• Nowhere in the chapter on dalits is the issue of
  role of engagement spelt out.

10
Some key issues

• Inclusive Growth those excluded should be
  involved in the design and implementation of the
  plan, not just as welfare agents
• National Institute of Public Cooperation and
  Child Development as an institutional space with
  an autonomous structure under PC.
• Monitoring of targets and schemes
• Budget tracking and monitoring
• Space for gender, child and dalit component in
  all chapters
• Need to address issues of convergence
• Monitoring PPP