Twenty five years ago, the Women Component Plan (WCP) was introduced for the first time in the Budgets of local bodies, with the State government stipulating that 10% of the Plan funds should be set aside for projects aimed at empowering women. Although the schemes taken up under the plan in local bodies across the State did bring about a sea change in the participation of women in economic activities and in their status within society and family, a ground-level study has now pointed at some of the lacunae that needs to be urgently addressed.
The study conducted by the women's committee of the Kerala Gazetted Officers' Association in 106 local bodies across the State collected data from 12,720 beneficiaries of WCP projects. One of the major findings is that though the monthly income of the beneficiaries and their families has increased, the increase has not been considerable enough to have any major savings for the women. As many as 56% of the surveyed beneficiaries had a monthly income of less than ₹2,000 per month, while 26.5% had a revenue of between ₹2,000 and ₹5,000. Only 4.4% had an income above ₹10,000 per month. Though all of them have bank accounts, the savings are very less.
The type of projects which are usually formulated under the WCP has been another area of concern. A large number of projects are related to rearing cattle or agriculture-related projects, making it unappealing for the younger generation of women. This is evident in how as many as 78% of the beneficiaries of the WCP projects are above the age of 40. Although attempts have been made in some local bodies to think out of the box in formulating novel projects, these did not have effective follow up.
"Our understanding from the study is that these small projects, which are not scaled up usually, do not lead to true financial empowerment of women. The focus should also be on helping women start Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) or even smaller IT-based startups. More educated, young women should be attracted to these projects," says A.S.Suma, State convener of the KGOA's women's committee.
On the positive side, 79.9% of the surveyed women said that their status within the family increased after being a beneficiary of WCP projects, while 91.7% said that they have attained the ability to face crises and 76.5% said that they have gained leadership skills. As many as 92% beneficiaries said that they attained decision-making power in birth control, while 86.66% had the same in land-related transactions.
The group which conducted the study has suggested the involvement of technically qualified women from each area in the preparation of the WCP projects, which should be focused on the all-round improvement of women’s status in the society and the society’s attitude towards them. Gender status studies should be taken up in all local bodies before the beginning of the 14th five year plan.
