Women's Status, Welfare Legislation, the WD&CW Department and Mission Shakti

What to remember

• Women's status is judged by health, education, work, safety and a voice in decisions. The Constitution gives equality, and also allows special help for women under Article 15(3).
• Laws protect women at home, at work and in public life. Know the main Acts: Dowry Prohibition, Maternity Benefit, Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment at Workplace, PCPNDT, and the Criminal Law changes after 2012.
• Mission Shakti is the umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It has two parts: Sambal (safety and security) and Samarthya (empowerment). In Andhra Pradesh the Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department runs women and child schemes, including the Anganwadi system.

Status of women: concepts and indicators

Status means the position of women compared with men in society. It is measured through:

• Health: sex ratio (females per 1,000 males), maternal mortality, anaemia, age at marriage.
• Education: female literacy and school retention.
• Work: work participation, wage gap, unpaid care work.
• Power: share in panchayats, legislatures and jobs.
• Safety: crimes against women and access to justice.

Important ideas:

• Gender is a social role. Sex is a biological difference.
• Gender mainstreaming means looking at every policy through a gender view.
• Gender budgeting means checking how much of the budget helps women. India began it in the mid-2000s.
• Empowerment means women gain the power to decide about their own lives.
• Global indices: UNDP's Gender Development Index (GDI) and Gender Inequality Index (GII), and the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index.

The 1974 report Towards Equality of the Committee on the Status of Women in India was the first big review of women's condition after Independence. The National Perspective Plan for Women (1988) and the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women (2001) came later. The UN CEDAW (1979) is the women's rights convention. India ratified it in 1993. The Beijing Conference of 1995 gave a platform for action.

Constitutional provisions

The Women's Reservation Act (106th Amendment, 2023) provides one-third seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. It comes into effect only after the census and delimitation that follow.

Social reform and early laws

• Abolition of Sati, 1829: under Governor-General William Bentinck, after the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
• Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856: supported by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
• Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 (Sarda Act): replaced by the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. Legal age of marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
• In Andhra, Kandukuri Veeresalingam worked for widow remarriage and women's education.
• Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005: daughters became equal co-owners in ancestral property.

Main welfare and protective legislation

Notes:

• The Vishaka guidelines (1997) of the Supreme Court came first. The 2013 Act turned them into law.
• Since July 2024 the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has replaced the Indian Penal Code. The older laws on cruelty by husband or relatives continue in the new code in a changed form.
• The Domestic Violence Act appoints Protection Officers and recognises service providers and shelter homes.

National bodies and national schemes

• National Commission for Women (NCW): statutory body, 1992. Reviews safeguards, investigates complaints and advises the government.
• Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (1993): micro-credit for poor women.
• Mahila Samakhya (1988): education for women's empowerment in rural areas.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (2015): launched at Panipat to improve the child sex ratio and girls' education.
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: small savings account for a girl child.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (2017): cash support to pregnant and nursing mothers for the first living child (rules as updated).
• Women Helpline 181 and One Stop Centres (Sakhi): 24-hour help, medical, legal and counselling support in one place.
• Ujjawala (against trafficking) and Swadhar Greh (shelter for women in difficult circumstances) are now merged as Shakti Sadan under Mission Shakti.

Mission Shakti

Mission Shakti is an integrated scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, with guidelines issued in 2022. It merges many older schemes.

"Mission Poshan 2.0" is a separate umbrella for nutrition: Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and the scheme for adolescent girls.

The WD&CW Department and Andhra Pradesh

The WD&CW Department in Andhra Pradesh looks after women's development, child welfare and the Anganwadi system. Its field staff include Anganwadi Workers, Helpers and Supervisors. Supervisors guide groups of Anganwadi centres, check records and link them with health and education services. Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) head projects at the block level.

AP-linked women's programmes and institutions:

• DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas): self-help groups formed in the early 1980s.
• SERP (rural poverty mission, associated with the Velugu programme) and MEPMA (urban poverty mission) built large networks of women's self-help groups.
• Stree Nidhi: a co-operative credit facility for women's groups.
• Abhaya Hastham: pension support for self-help group members.
• Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Women: statutory body set up by the State in 1998.
• Disha: the Disha law and Disha police stations and app for fast action on crimes against women. The State passed the Disha law in 2019. Check the latest official position on its legal status.
• State welfare schemes for women have changed with governments. Check the latest official release for current names.

Exam traps

• Article 15(3) allows special provisions for women. It is not a ban on equality.
• Article 39(d) is a Directive Principle. Article 51A(e) is a Fundamental Duty.
• NCW is statutory (1990 Act). It is not a constitutional body.
• PCPNDT deals with sex determination. MTP deals with abortion.
• Sambal is safety. Samarthya is empowerment.
• Maternity Benefit Act gives 26 weeks for the first two children. For later children the period is shorter.
• Vishaka guidelines are judicial. The 2013 Act is legislative.
• Domestic Violence Act is mainly civil protection. Dowry Prohibition Act is a criminal law.

One-liners

• 1. Towards Equality (1974) reviewed the status of women.
• 2. India ratified CEDAW in 1993.
• 3. NCW was formed in 1992.
• 4. The 73rd and 74th Amendments reserve one-third seats for women in local bodies.
• 5. The 106th Amendment (2023) reserves one-third seats in Lok Sabha and Assemblies.
• 6. Legal age of marriage: 18 for girls, 21 for boys.
• 7. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao was launched at Panipat in 2015.
• 8. Women Helpline number is 181.
• 9. One Stop Centres are also called Sakhi centres.
• 10. Mission Shakti has two arms: Sambal and Samarthya.
• 11. The 2013 workplace law requires an Internal Committee in every office with ten or more employees.
• 12. DWCRA groups began in rural areas in the early 1980s.

Practice questions

1. Which Article of the Constitution allows the State to make special provisions for women and children?

   1. Article 16(2)
   2. Article 14
   3. Article 21A
   4. Article 15(3)
   Answer

   D. Article 15(3)

   Article 15(3) is an exception to the ban on discrimination and allows special help for women and children.

2. Equal pay for equal work for men and women is a Directive Principle under which Article?

   1. Article 44
   2. Article 39(d)
   3. Article 46
   4. Article 42
   Answer

   B. Article 39(d)

   Article 39(d) directs the State to secure equal pay for equal work.

3. The 1974 report 'Towards Equality' was prepared by the

   1. Committee on the Status of Women in India
   2. National Commission for Women
   3. Planning Commission
   4. Law Commission
   Answer

   A. Committee on the Status of Women in India

   It was the first major post-Independence review of women's condition.

4. The National Commission for Women was set up in

   1. 1975
   2. 2001
   3. 1992
   4. 1985
   Answer

   C. 1992

   NCW is a statutory body formed in 1992 under the 1990 Act.

5. The Women Helpline number is

   1. 1098
   2. 100
   3. 108
   4. 181
   Answer

   D. 181

   181 is the women helpline; 1098 is Childline and 108 is ambulance.

6. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao was launched from

   1. Lucknow
   2. Jaipur
   3. Panipat
   4. Hyderabad
   Answer

   C. Panipat

   It was launched at Panipat in Haryana in 2015 to improve the child sex ratio.

7. Mission Shakti has two arms named

   1. Sambal and Samarthya
   2. Poshan and Shiksha
   3. Sabla and Sakhi
   4. Ujjawala and Swadhar
   Answer

   A. Sambal and Samarthya

   Sambal covers safety and security; Samarthya covers empowerment.

8. The legal minimum age of marriage for a girl is

   1. 21 years
   2. 18 years
   3. 15 years
   4. 16 years
   Answer

   B. 18 years

   The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 sets 18 for girls and 21 for boys.

9. The Dowry Prohibition Act was passed in

   1. 1971
   2. 1986
   3. 1956
   4. 1961
   Answer

   D. 1961

   It makes giving or taking dowry an offence.

10. Maternity Benefit (Amendment) 2017 provides paid maternity leave of

    1. 12 weeks for all children
    2. 26 weeks for the first two children
    3. 16 weeks for the first child only
    4. 20 weeks for every child
    Answer

    B. 26 weeks for the first two children

    The 2017 amendment raised leave from 12 to 26 weeks for the first two children.

11. The Vishaka guidelines of 1997 were issued by the

    1. Ministry of Labour
    2. Parliament
    3. National Commission for Women
    4. Supreme Court
    Answer

    D. Supreme Court

    They dealt with workplace sexual harassment and became the base of the 2013 Act.

12. The PCPNDT Act mainly prohibits

    1. Sex determination before birth
    2. Child marriage
    3. Dowry demand
    4. Trafficking of women
    Answer

    A. Sex determination before birth

    It bans sex determination tests and sex-selective abortion.

13. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act first came in

    1. 1961
    2. 1982
    3. 1971
    4. 1994
    Answer

    C. 1971

    It was amended in 2021 to extend time limits for special categories.

14. The Sati was abolished in 1829 under Governor-General

    1. Lord Dalhousie
    2. Lord Curzon
    3. Warren Hastings
    4. William Bentinck
    Answer

    D. William Bentinck

    Bentinck's Regulation XVII of 1829 declared sati illegal.

15. The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act of 1856 is linked with the efforts of

    1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
    2. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
    3. Jyotiba Phule
    4. Swami Dayanand
    Answer

    B. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

    Vidyasagar campaigned for widow remarriage.

16. Which social reformer from Andhra worked strongly for widow remarriage?

    1. Kandukuri Veeresalingam
    2. Gurajada Apparao
    3. Tanguturi Prakasam
    4. Alluri Sitarama Raju
    Answer

    A. Kandukuri Veeresalingam

    Veeresalingam organised widow marriages in the 19th century.

17. The Domestic Violence Act, 2005 provides for appointment of

    1. Gram Mahila Officers
    2. Women Sheriffs
    3. Protection Officers
    4. Welfare Commissioners
    Answer

    C. Protection Officers

    Protection Officers help women to approach courts and shelters.

18. Under the 2013 workplace Act, a District-level body that hears complaints from small workplaces is the

    1. Local Committee
    2. Block Panchayat
    3. Vigilance Cell
    4. Lok Adalat
    Answer

    A. Local Committee

    Internal Committees serve workplaces; Local Committees serve district level.

19. The Rashtriya Mahila Kosh gives

    1. Scholarships to girl students
    2. Micro-credit to poor women
    3. Pension to old women
    4. Free housing to widows
    Answer

    B. Micro-credit to poor women

    RMK, set up in 1993, offers small loans through intermediaries.

20. Sambal is the part of Mission Shakti that deals with

    1. Skill training of youth
    2. Economic empowerment of women
    3. Nutrition of children
    4. Safety and security of women
    Answer

    D. Safety and security of women

    Sambal includes One Stop Centre, Women Helpline, BBBP and Nari Adalat.

21. Which of these is a component of Samarthya?

    1. Women Helpline
    2. One Stop Centre
    3. Working Women Hostel
    4. Nari Adalat
    Answer

    C. Working Women Hostel

    Samarthya covers empowerment services such as hostels, creches and shelter homes.

22. A woman faces violence and needs police, medical, legal and counselling help at one place. The best service is the

    1. One Stop Centre
    2. Mahila Samakhya centre
    3. Palna creche
    4. Working Women Hostel
    Answer

    A. One Stop Centre

    One Stop Centres (Sakhi) give integrated support under one roof.

23. A pregnant working woman asks about her right to paid leave. Which Act applies?

    1. Equal Remuneration Act
    2. Dowry Prohibition Act
    3. Maternity Benefit Act
    4. Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act
    Answer

    C. Maternity Benefit Act

    The Maternity Benefit Act gives paid leave and creche rights.

24. A company has no mechanism to hear a woman employee's complaint of harassment. It is violating the

    1. Hindu Succession Act
    2. Indecent Representation Act, 1986
    3. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
    4. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013
    Answer

    D. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013

    The Act requires an Internal Committee in every workplace of ten or more staff.

25. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gave daughters

    1. Priority in public jobs
    2. Equal rights as sons in ancestral property
    3. A right to vote at 18
    4. A right to adopt a child
    Answer

    B. Equal rights as sons in ancestral property

    Daughters became coparceners by birth.

26. Self-help groups of women in rural Andhra began on a large scale first through

    1. Poshan Abhiyaan
    2. ICDS
    3. DWCRA
    4. MEPMA
    Answer

    C. DWCRA

    DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) formed groups from the early 1980s.

27. MEPMA in Andhra Pradesh is concerned with

    1. Primary health centres
    2. Urban poverty reduction through women's groups
    3. Adult literacy
    4. Rural roads
    Answer

    B. Urban poverty reduction through women's groups

    MEPMA works in municipal areas; SERP works in rural areas.

28. The Disha initiative in Andhra Pradesh is related to

    1. Faster action on crimes against women
    2. Free bus travel for girls
    3. Loans for fishermen
    4. Pension for widows
    Answer

    A. Faster action on crimes against women

    It includes Disha police stations and a mobile app for women's safety.

29. The Women's Reservation Act of 2023 is the

    1. 73rd Constitution Amendment
    2. 101st Constitution Amendment
    3. 86th Constitution Amendment
    4. 106th Constitution Amendment
    Answer

    D. 106th Constitution Amendment

    It reserves one-third seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.

30. Which Article makes it a Fundamental Duty to give up practices that insult women's dignity?

    1. Article 51A(e)
    2. Article 15(3)
    3. Article 39(e)
    4. Article 42
    Answer

    A. Article 51A(e)

    51A(e) lists this among the Fundamental Duties.

31. Which pair of the following is correctly matched? (Act - subject)

    1. MTP Act - dowry
    2. Sati Prevention Act - child marriage
    3. PCPNDT Act - sex determination
    4. Maternity Benefit Act - trafficking
    Answer

    C. PCPNDT Act - sex determination

    Only PCPNDT with sex determination is correct.

32. Consider the statements: 1. Article 15(3) permits special provisions for women. 2. Article 42 deals with maternity relief. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both statements are correct.

33. Consider the statements: 1. The National Commission for Women is a constitutional body. 2. It was established in 1992. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    NCW is a statutory body, so statement 1 is wrong; it was set up in 1992.

34. Consider the statements: 1. Gender is a biological difference. 2. Sex is a social role. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    The two definitions are reversed. Sex is biological; gender is a social role.

35. Consider the statements about Mission Shakti: 1. Samarthya covers empowerment components. 2. Sambal covers only nutrition schemes. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Sambal deals with safety and security, not nutrition.

36. Consider the statements: 1. The Vishaka guidelines were later turned into a law in 2013. 2. The 2013 Act requires Internal Committees. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    The 2013 Act converted the guidelines into law and requires Internal Committees.

37. Consider the statements: 1. India ratified CEDAW in 1993. 2. CEDAW was adopted by the UN in 1979. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both dates are standard.

38. Consider the statements: 1. The Domestic Violence Act, 2005 is mainly a civil protection law. 2. It provides for protection, residence and monetary relief. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

39. Consider the statements: 1. The 73rd Amendment reserves one-third seats for women in panchayats. 2. The 74th Amendment gives the same for municipalities. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Articles 243D and 243T provide this reservation.

40. Consider the statements: 1. Mission Poshan 2.0 is the same as Mission Shakti. 2. Mission Poshan 2.0 deals mainly with nutrition. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Poshan 2.0 is a separate nutrition umbrella; Mission Shakti deals with women's safety and empowerment.

41. Consider the statements: 1. Article 39(d) is a Fundamental Right. 2. Article 51A(e) is a Fundamental Duty. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Article 39(d) is a Directive Principle.

42. Match the following: A. Mahila Samakhya 1. 1988 B. Rashtriya Mahila Kosh 2. 1993 C. National Perspective Plan for Women 3. 1988 D. NCW 4. 1992 Which is the correct option for the dates (A-B-C-D)?

    1. 3-4-1-2
    2. 2-1-4-3
    3. 1-3-2-4
    4. 1-2-3-4
    Answer

    D. 1-2-3-4

    Mahila Samakhya 1988, RMK 1993, National Perspective Plan 1988, NCW 1992.

43. Match the Act with its main subject: A. PCPNDT Act 1. Sex determination B. Dowry Prohibition Act 2. Dowry C. Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 3. Trafficking Which is the correct order (A-B-C)?

    1. 1-2-3
    2. 3-2-1
    3. 2-1-3
    4. 1-3-2
    Answer

    A. 1-2-3

    Each Act is matched with its subject.

44. Match: A. Ujjawala 1. Anti-trafficking B. Swadhar Greh 2. Shelter C. Sukanya Samriddhi 3. Savings for girl child Which is the correct order (A-B-C)?

    1. 2-1-3
    2. 1-3-2
    3. 3-2-1
    4. 1-2-3
    Answer

    D. 1-2-3

    Ujjawala is anti-trafficking, Swadhar Greh is shelter, SSY is savings.

45. Consider the statements: 1. Supervisors in the Anganwadi system guide a group of Anganwadi centres. 2. CDPOs head projects at block level. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both describe field roles in the WD&CW Department.