Abstract

The profile of a rural woman is that of a poor, ignorant, illiterate, superstitious and suppressed being. She has low levels of skills. Her access to information, assets, and opportunities is also low. She is unorganized and under-represented. Rural women are subjected to several socioeconomic, psychological and environmental disabilities.  The National Commission for Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73^rd and 74^th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels. India has also ratified various international conventions and human rights instruments committing to secure equal rights of women. Key among them is the ratification of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1993. The women’s movement and a wide-spread network of non-Government Organizations which have strong grass-roots presence and deep insight into women’s concerns have contributed in inspiring initiatives for the empowerment of women. To bring women into the mainstream and to encourage their participation in the process of national development has, therefore, been a major concern of the Government. However, there still exists a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the Constitution, legislation, policies, plans, programmes and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other. The empowerment of Rural Women is crucial for the development of the Rural India. The present paper attempts to highlight the current reality in the ray of various programmes and laws for the empowerment of women.