Women and vulnerable people Related Issues

Question 1

Discuss the task force set up decide the marriage age of woman

Answer 1

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech in 2020 reported a panel on the age of a girl entering motherhood to lower maternal mortality rates and improve nutrition levels
A task force was set up to examine the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood with health and nutritional status of mothers in infants

Question 2

Why is the decision to increase the age of marriage for women being criticised

Answer 2

Women’s rights activists have opposed the suggestion of raising the age of marriage from 18 to 21 for women and have cited evidence to show that such a move may be used to incarcerate young adults marrying without parents’ consent.

Question 3

What is the age of marriage for women in different marriage acts

Answer 3

1. An individual attains the age of majority at 18 as per the Indian Majority Act, 1875.
2. For Hindus, Section 5(iii) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 sets 18 years as the minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom. Child marriages are not illegal but can be declared void at the request of the minor in the marriage.
3. In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid under personal law.
4. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively.

Question 4

Why is there a need to relook and the law. To increase the age of women for marriage

Answer 4

gender-neutrality to reduce the risks of early pregnancy among women
Early pregnancy is associated with increased child mortality rates and affects the health of the mother.
Despite laws mandating minimum age and criminalising sexual intercourse with a minor, child
marriages are very prevalent in the country.
Also, according to a study, children born to adolescent mothers (10-19 years) were 5 percentage points more likely to be stunted (shorter for their age) than those born to young adults (20-24 years

Question 5

When is the national girl Child Day

Answer 5

India celebrates National Girl Child Day, an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, every year on January 24.

Question 6

Discuss the Beth bachao beti padhao initiative

Answer 6

Launch and expansion: Launched in January, 2015 at Panipat in Haryana.
all india
covering all 640 districts (as per Census 2011) was launched at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan on 8th March
2018.
● It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare
and Human Resource Development.

It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% financial assistance for District level component and the fund are directly released to the DC/DM’s account for smooth operation of the Scheme.

1. Main Objective of the scheme is to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of women
2. The specific objectives of the scheme include preventing gender biased sex selective elimination; ensuring survival and protection of the girl child and ensuring education and participation of the girl child.

Question 7

What are the achievements of the beti Bachao beti padhao scheme

Answer 7

1. As per the Ministry of Health, the sex ratio at birth is showing promising trends of improvement and has improved by 16 points from 918 (2014-15) to 934 (2019-20).
2. Health percentage of first trimester Antenatal Care (ANC) has shown an improving trend from 61 per cent in 2014-15 to 71 per cent in 2019-20.
3. The education gross enrolment ratio of girls in the schools at the secondary level has also improved from 77.45 per cent (2014-15) to 81.32 per cent (2018-19-provisional figures).
4. Attitudinal change: focus on important issue of female infanticide, lack of education amongst girls and deprivation of their rights on a life cycle continuum.
5. engaged with Community to defy the age old biases against the girl child
6. Use of BBBP logo in popular Indian festivals i.e. Lohri, KalashYatra, Rakhi, Ganesh Chaturdashipandal, festival of flowers etc.
7. Collaborating at the level of community for observing the son centric rituals while celebrating the birth of girl child i.e. Kuwapoojan, Thalibajana etc.
8. Felicitation of mothers and girl child at community level and in hospitals by Administration to establish the relevance of the girl child.
9. Celebration of Beti Janmotsav in each district.

Question 8

What is the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

Answer 8

It is a small deposit scheme for the girl child launched as a part of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’
campaign.
● A Sukanya Samriddhi Account can be opened any time after the birth of a girl till she turns 10, with a minimum deposit of Rs 250
In subsequent years, a minimum of Rs 250 and a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh can be deposited during the ongoing financial year.
● The account can be opened in any post office or authorised branches of commercial banks.
● The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of its opening or till the marriage of the girl after she turns 18.
● To meet the requirement of her higher education expenses, partial withdrawal of 50% of the balance
is allowed after she turns 18

Question 9

Introduction for the medical termination of pregnancy amendment Bill 2020

Answer 9

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020 was passed in Lok Sabha in March 2020,

The Bill proposes several amendments, including the constitution of a Medical Board in every State and UT.
● The board will decide on pregnancies beyond 24 weeks in cases of foetal abnormalities.
● Each board will have one gynaecologist, one radiologist or sonologist, one paediatrician, and other members prescribed by the State/UT government.

Question 10

What are the highlights of the medical termination of pregnancy amendment Bill 2020

Answer 10

1. It seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from 20 weeks to 24 under special circumstances.
2. The “special categories of women” include rape survivors, victims of incest, the differently abled and minors.
3. The Bill proposes requirement of opinion of one registered medical practitioner (RMP) for termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation.
4. It also provides for the requirement of opinion of two RMPs for termination of pregnancy of 20 to 24

Question 11

Why did the medical termination of pregnancy act require amendment

Answer 11

The present abortion law, which is about five decades old, permits abortion up to a maximum foetal gestation period of 20 weeks.
● In recent years, there have been strong demands to raise the foetal gestation period for abortion beyond 20 weeks.

Question 12

what is the opportunity index 2021 , by whom

Answer 12

new report by LinkedIn.
● The survey, conducted in January, saw participation from more than 10,000 respondents across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. It covered 2,285 respondents in India.

Question 13

what are the key findings of the opportunity index 2021

Answer 13

1. 9 in 10 or 89 per cent of women were negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
2. About 85%, or four in five working women in India believe they have missed out on a raise, promotion,
   or work offer because of their gender. This average stands at 60% for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
3. More women in India have experienced the impact of gender on career development when compared to the APAC region.

Question 14

what are the challenges of working women

Answer 14

1. Lack of time and discrimination for family care.
2. Gender is a barrier when it comes to attaining opportunities.
3. Lack of guidance through networks.
4. Workplace discrimination because of household responsibilities.

Question 15

what is DISHA

Answer 15

Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children)

Question 16

discuss the background of the DISHA bill

Answer 16

Union government informed the Lok Sabha that an inter-ministerial consultation for the Andhra Pradesh Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children) Bill, 2020, had been initiated.
● The Bill paves the way for awarding the death penalty for rape and gang rape.

reserved by the Governor for assent of the President.

Question 17

what are the key features of the DISHA bill

Answer 17

1.completion of investigation in seven days and trial in 14 working days, where there is adequate conclusive evidence,
and reducing the total judgment time to 21 days from the existing four months.

2. life imprisonment for other sexual offences against children and includes Section 354 F
   and 354 G in IPC.
3. In cases of harassment of women through social or digital media, the Act states two years imprisonment for the first conviction and four years for second and subsequent convictions.
   For this, a new Section 354 E will be added in IPC, 1860.
   As per the Bill, the Andhra Pradesh government will establish, operate and maintain a register in electronic form, to be called the ‘Women &
   Children Offenders Registry’. This registry will be
   made public and will be available to law
   enforcement agencies.

5.establish exclusive special
courts in each district to ensure speedy trial.
exclusively deal with cases of offences against women and children including rape, acid attacks, stalking, voyeurism, social media harassment of women, sexual harassment and all cases under the POCSO Act.

6. special police teams at the district level to be called District Special Police Team to be headed by DSP for investigation of offences related to women and children.
7. special public prosecutor for each exclusive special court.

Question 18

what is the need to set up medical boards in every district

Answer 18

so that rape survivors could benefit from early medical intervention and not be forced to go through more trauma.
There has been a strong push against the law, which imposes severe restrictions on the reproductive choice of a woman, her personal liberty and bodily autonomy.
● Several affected women, even rape survivors, have approached the apex court against the 1971 law.
● So far, the apex court has dealt with pleas for medical termination of pregnancy on a case-to- case basis.

Question 19

discuss abortion v/s FR

Answer 19

The “right to exercise reproductive choice is the right to choose whether to conceive and carry pregnancy to its full term or to terminate it. This choice is at the core of one’s privacy, dignity, personal autonomy, bodily integrity, self determination and right to health recognised by Article 21 of the Constitution.”

Question 20

why do we need UCC fr divorce and alimony

Answer 20

Existing anomalies, varying from one religion to another, are violative of the right to equality (Article 14 of the Constitution) and right against discrimination (Article 15) on the basis of religion and gender and right to dignity.
● Therefore, the laws on divorce, maintenance and alimony should be “gender-neutral and religion- neutral”

Question 21

who releases the gender gap report

Answer 21

World Economic Forum

Question 22

discuss the findings of gender gap report 2021 in context of india

Answer 22

1. Overall Ranking: India has fallen 28 places- it is now ranked 140 among 156 countries.
2. Among Neighbours: It is now one of the worst performers in South Asia, trailing behind neighbours
   Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
3. Political empowerment: India has declined on the political empowerment index as well by 13.5 percentage points.
4. In the index of education attainment, India has been ranked at 114.
5. India has fared the worst on “Health and Survival”, which includes the sex ratio, and economic
   participation of women.
6. The estimated earned income of women in India is only one-fifth of men’s, which puts the country
   among the bottom 10 globally on this indicator.

Political-
There is a significant decline in the number of women ministers (from 23.1 per cent in 2019 to 9.1 per cent in 2021).
Share of women in parliament remains stagnant at 14.4%. India is among the five worst performers.

health -
Wide sex ratio at birth gaps is due to high incidence of gender-based sex-selective practices.
More than one in four women has faced intimate violence in her lifetime.

Educational Attainment
• On this subindex, 96.2% of the gender gap has been closed, with parity achieved in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
• Yet, gender gaps persist in terms of literacy: one third of women are illiterate (34.2%) compared to 17.6% of men.

Economic participation and opportunity-
• Women’s labour force participation rate saw a decline from 24.8 percent to 22.3 percent.
• In addition, the share of women in professional and technical roles declined further to 29.2 percent.
• Women’s estimated earned income is only one-fifth of men’s.

Question 23

what are the benchmarks of the gender gap report

Answer 23

four dimensions:
1. Economic Participation and Opportunity,
2. Educational Attainment,
3. Health and Survival and
4. Political Empowerment.
Over the Index, the highest possible score is 1 (equality) and the lowest possible score is 0 (inequality).

Question 24

who releases the state of world population report

Answer 24

United Nations population fund

Question 25

what is bodily autonomy

Answer 25

power and agency to make choices about your body without fear of violence or having someone else decide for you.

Question 26

what is the United Nations population fund

Answer 26

It is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
● The organization was created in 1969, the same year the United Nations General Assembly declared
“parents have the exclusive right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their
children.”
● UNFPA’s mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and
every young person’s potential is fulfilled

Question 27

discuss the performance of India in the UNFPA state of world population report

Answer 27

In India, according to NFHS-4 (2015-2016), only about 12% of currently married women (15-49 years of age) independently make decisions about their own healthcare.
● For a quarter of women (23%), it is the spouse that mainly takes decisions about healthcare.
● Information provided to women about use of contraception is also limited.

Question 28

who released “Gender bias and inclusion in advertising in India”

Answer 28

UNICEF and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

Question 29

discuss the gender bias in advertising

Answer 29

1. in terms of screen and speaking time, their portrayal is problematic as they further gender stereotypes
2. more likely than male characters to be shown as married, less likely to be shown in paid occupation, and more likely to be depicted as caretakers and parents.
3. Female characters are more likely to be shown doing the following activities than male characters — shopping , cleaning and being involved in the purchase or preparation of meals
4. For characters where intelligence is part of their character in the ad, male characters are more likely to be shown as smart than female characters
5. Two-thirds of female characters (66.9%) in Indian ads have light or medium-light skin tones. Female characters are also invariably thin.

Question 30

Discuss the statistics regarding woman in agriculture

Answer 30

Agriculture Census 2015-16, female operational holdings increased to 14.0 percent in 2015-16
against and 12.8 percent in 2010-11. This indicates rising participation of females in management and/or operation of agricultural holdings in the country, also termed as feminization of agriculture.

Question 31

What are the causes of emerging trend of feminisation of agriculture

Answer 31

Rural to urban migration of male members
cheap and easily available agricultural labour
agriculture distress has led to the shift of male members to non-farm activities

Question 32

What issues do women face in the agricultural sector

Answer 32

1. Low land and asset ownership
   wage gap
2. Lack of supportive infrastructure: Technological interventions not designed with women farmers in mind.
3. Absence of decision-making power: no decision-making powers over important issues such crop selection, division of duties, marketing etc.
4. Limited to drudgery work: Mechanization of agriculture has resulted in confinement of women to labour intensive and menial roles such as winnowing, harvesting, sowing seeds and rearing livestock.
5. Illiteracy: Women workers in agriculture suffer from high illiteracy rate and drop-out of schools and have little awareness about the existing schemes, benefits, rights, etc.
   As a result of this female population engaged in agriculture has poor economic as well social growth.
6. Low representation in administrative bodies: Women have no representation in agricultural marketing committees and other similar bodies.

Question 33

What are the steps taken by the government to improve the conditions of feminine population in agriculture

Answer 33

1. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP):
   The Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development is implementing MKSP to empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also to create and sustain their agriculture-based livelihoods.
2. ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (ICAR-CIWA): It is a first of its kind institution in India that is exclusively devoted to gender related research in agriculture.
3. Additional support in existing schemes:
   The Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare is also providing additional support and assistance to female farmers, over and above the male farmers under various Schemes namely Agri-Clinic & Agri-Business Centre (ACABC),
   Integrated Schemes of Agricultural Marketing (ISAM),
   Sub-Mission of Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
   and National Food Security Mission (NFSM).

Question 34

How can we improve the status of women in agriculture

Answer 34

1. Enhancing representation of women in decision- making bodies
   2.Agricultural education be made gender sensitive and research, development, extension and services be engendered to give due recognition to the multiple role played by women agriculturists.
2. Technological advancements in designing tools can play an important role in making farm equipment easy to use for women.
   4.Women Self Help Groups engaged in value addition of agri produce at village level.
3. In addition, beekeeping, fishery, poultry, animal
   husbandry have major scope for women farmers and women centric schemes
4. Prioritizing women in accessing credit on soft terms from banks and other financial institutions for acquisition of land, assets and agricultural inputs.
5. Awareness generation among women regarding their inheritance rights coupled with access to judicial relief and redress, removing discrimination through legal reforms, and providing legal aid, assistance and counseling.
6. Skill development training needs to be delivered to women farmers to train them in areas of field operations, organic farming etc.
7. grant equal pay to them.

Question 35

What are the issues regarding the beti Bachao beti padhao scheme

Answer 35

Only 45% of the funds are utilised
in states like Gujarat Maharashtra Kerala Haryana and Madhya Pradesh not even half of the total funds are utilised

the budget allocation for union women and child development ministry was reduced by 18% in 2020

lack of proper monitoring

the dropout rate in girls for secondary education is 17.3% and 4.74% at the elementary level
there is also caste-based discrimination
gender-based digital divide

prioritisation of education of male child

Question 36

What is the way forward for beti Bachao beti padhao scheme

Answer 36

Use media campaigns and community outreach events particular to increasing the female school enrolment and attendance
mobile technology for monitoring and documentation incentive by state government
use local non-profit organisation as long-term partners for execution of community outreach programmes

Question 37

Discuss the key features of the Pocso act of 2012

Answer 37

• comprehensive law for the protection of children (under the age of 18) from the offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography.

UNConventionontheRightsoftheChild, 1989 (ratified by India in 1992) requires sexual exploitation and sexual abuse to be addressed as heinous crimes.

1. hild-friendly mechanisms at every stage of the judicial process which include reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and speedy trial of offences through designated Special Courts.
2. investigation in the cases is to be completed in two months and trial in 6 months.
   For this purpose Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) are established.
3. It also punishes criminals who are in positions of trust of authority like public servants, staff of educational institutions, police etc.
4. It does not explicitly recognizes grooming. However, experts say that section 11 of the Act can be interpreted to recognize and criminalise. Grooming involves acts of establishing relationship with a child so as to facilitate sexual contact with the child.
   Section 67(b) of the Information Technology Act criminalizes grooming.

Question 38

Discuss the 2019 amendment of the Pocso act

Answer 38

1.Increases the minimum punishment (including death penalty) for penetrative sexual assault,
aggravate penetrative sexual assault.

2. Assault resulting in death of child, and assault committed during a natural calamity, or in any similar situations of violence are covered as Aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
3. Defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child including photograph, video, digital or computer generated image indistinguishable from an actual child.
4. Storage of pornographic material: Includes two other offences
   (i) failing to destroy, or delete, or report pornographic material involving a child
   (ii) transmitting, displaying, distributing such material except for the purpose of reporting it.

Question 39

Distinguish between section 354 IPC and the Pocso act

Answer 39

Punishment for the offence irrespective of any age of the victim
Female
sexual assault
• Definition is generic
• It makes it a crime to use force
against a woman, or even threaten to use force, if the intention is to ‘outrage her modesty’.
Burden of proof Lies on the prosecution. The accused in
‘deemed to be innocent until proven guilty
Minimum 1 year this may extend to five years along with a fine.

Pocso

For the protection of children

Gender neutral

The Act for the first time, defines “penetrative sexual assault”, “sexual assault” and “sexual harassment”
• Acts of “sexual assault” are explicitly mentioned such
as touching various private parts or doing any other act which involves physical contact without penetration

Lies on the accused. The accused is ‘deemed to be guilty until proven innocent’

Minimum 3 Years this may extend to 5 years, in addition to a fine.

Question 40

Discuss the key features of the Pocso rules 2020

Answer 40

1. Mandatory police verification of staff in any
   institution housing children or coming in regular contact with children like schools, care homes, sports academies etc.

2.State Governments to formulate a child protection policy to be adopted by all institutions, organizations, or any other agency working with, or coming in contact with children

3. Central Government and State Governments shall - Provide periodic training (like sensitization workshops etc.) to all persons, coming in contact with the children,
   - Prepare age-appropriate educational material and curriculum for children, informing them about personal safety, emotional and mental wellbeing, reporting mechanisms including Childline helpline services (toll free number- 1098) etc.
   - Capacity building for police personnel and forensic experts
   - Any person who has received any pornographic material involving a child or any information regarding such pornographic material shall report the contents.

Question 41

What are the challenges regarding implementation of the POCSO act

Answer 41

1. Proving the age of the child:
   silent on what documents are to be considered for determining the age of the child victim.
   Hence, only the birth certificate, the school certificate or the matriculation certificate is considered as the proof (as they are mentioned as a proof under the Juvenile Justice Rules).
   - However, children who are only able to produce other legal documents (such as a passport) have to
   undergo a bone ossification test.
   -This test can
   give a rough estimate of the age of the child at best. This creates a hurdle in delivery of justice.
2. Police system: of human resource (including skilled human resource), politicization, overburdened with work. challenges like refusal by police to file the FIR, interrogation in an insensitive way etc.
3. Forensic samples: Due to poor training they may not collect forensic samples with due diligence. end up getting contaminated, or putrefied due to improper storage.
4. Overburdened judiciary:
5. Interim compensation: The child victim is entitled to interim compensation to meet their immediate needs. should not be restrictively interpreted to mean only his or her medical needs. It includes every need of the child necessary for rehabilitation.
6. Public Prosecutor: Generally, defense lawyers in POCSO cases are specialised, but the same did not hold true for the public prosecutors, leading to a “mismatch”.
7. National and State Commissions for the Protection of Child Rights: They are required to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Act in addition to generating public awareness. However, their functioning and evaluation procedure is not open to public scrutiny.

Question 42

How can the Pocso act be strengthened

Answer 42

1. Assessment of the impact: There needs to be a nationwide assessment of the impact POCSO Act had since its inception.
2. Police reform: Police is the first interface between the victim and the judiciary. effective functioning and sensitivity in police
3. Overhaul of the criminal justice delivery system: The courts set up under this law deal must exclusively deal with child sexual abuse matters. Also, there is a need for audit of funds requirement, practices and procedures of the 60pecializat courts, set up under this law.
4. There is a need for specialization of the judges, prosecutors and police officers who deal with such cases.
5. Train and sensitise - ensure privacy of the victims.
6. Bringing changes in evidence law, methods of investigation and strengthening of the forensics department of the government to keep pace with the changes in the nature of child sexual abuse crimes.
7. Emerging nature of crimes also need to be looked - investigation of these new types of offences.
8. Improve the compensation and set up a support system as many victims have to forego their education due to several reasons.
9. Awareness: Awareness among children and parents need to be enhanced.

Question 43

What is the significance of the medical termination of pregnancy Bill 2020

Answer 43

1. Safe, affordable and accessible abortion: if substantial foetal anomalies detected late in pregnancy and pregnancies due to sexual violence faced by women.
2. Increasing upper gestational limit: With advancement of medical technology for safe abortion, there is a scope for increasing upper gestational limit for terminating pregnancies especially for vulnerable women and for pregnancies with substantial foetal anomalies detected late in pregnancy.
3. Reduce maternal mortality and morbidity: It increases access of women to legal and safe abortion service in order to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity caused by unsafe abortion and its complications.

Question 44

What are the issues regarding the medical termination of pregnancy amendment Bill 2020

Answer 44

1. Categories of women who can terminate pregnancy between 20-24 weeks not specified: not specified in the bill, while it is delegated to central government to notify these categories.
2. Time frame for Medical Board’s decision not specified: not provide a time frame within which the Board must make its decision for termination of pregnancy after 24 weeks.
3. No clarity about transgender persons: Some medical studies have shown that there may be cases where persons who identify as transgender (and not women) can become pregnant even after receiving hormone therapy to transition from female to male and may require termination services.
4. Unavailability of qualified medical professionals to terminate pregnancies:
   The All-India Rural Health Statistics (2018-19) indicates there are 1,351 gynaecologists and obstetricians in community health clinics in rural areas across India, and the shortfall is 4,002, i.e., there is a 75% shortage of qualified doctors.

As per the National Health and Family Survey (2015-16), only 53% of abortions are performed by a
registered medical doctor and the balance are conducted by a nurse, auxiliary nurse midwife, family
member, or self.

6. Right to freedom: The bill still does not give women the freedom to decide, since she will need a nod from a medical board in the case of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks.
7. Lack of detailed scrutiny: The bill did not send to a Parliamentary Select Committee for detailed scrutiny and did not reflect consultations with stakeholders.

Question 45

How can we strengthen the medical termination of pregnancy amendment bill of 2020

Answer 45

• Categories of women: The categories of women who can terminate pregnancy between 20-24 weeks should be specified by Parliament by law and not delegated to the government.
• Time frame for Medical Board: There should be definite time period for decisions by medical board for termination of pregnancy after 24 weeks, to avoid delays and check complications for the pregnant woman.
• Transgender persons: India have Transgender Persons (Protections and Rights) Act, 2019 recognises transgender as an additional gender in India, so considering this there is need to cover transgender persons under the Bill.
• Detailed scrutiny: Bill needs to go through detailed scrutiny of Parliamentary Select Committee and should acquire consultations from various stakeholders involved to make it more comprehensive.

Question 46

Who released the woman and men in India report

Answer 46

National statistical office

Question 47

Discuss the statistics regarding the participation of women in economy

Answer 47

rural sector, Worker Population Ratio (WPR) was 19.0 for females and 52.1 for males.
In Urban sector, the ratio is 14.5 for females and 52.7 for males.

• Majority of the females (59.6%) and males (57.4%) workers were self-employed in rural area.
• In urban sector, 54.7% females and 47.2% males were regular wage/salaried employee.

• Casual labour among the female workers and male workers were higher in rural area as compared
to urban.

• On an average 134 minutes were spent in a day by females for “Unpaid care giving services for
household members” against 76 minutes spent by males on the same activity.

Question 48

Discuss the participation of women in decision making

Answer 48

Percentage of female electors participating in General Elections went up from 65.6% in Sixteenth to 67.2% in Seventeenth Lok Sabha Elections.
• There is an upward trend in the number of female candidates contested as well as elected from 14th to 17th Lok Sabha General Election.

Question 49

Discuss the barriers to reproductive health of women in India

Answer 49

1. Lack of accessibility: Decisions about contraception and reproductive health care are sometimes impeded by the distance to clinics and facilities, especially in rural areas.
   safe, quality and legal abortion care.
2. Availability related issues: Absence of adolescent- and youth-responsive services, shortages of preferred methods of contraception, poor-quality or poorly managed services, services that are staffed by judgmental providers and lack of privacy.
3. Inadequate Policies: such as non-recognition of marital rape, absence of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) as per international standards, health systems’ guidelines may be based on a more conservative interpretation of the law.
4. Marital practices: Women experiencing abuse in marriage are more likely to test positive for HIV and other sexually transmitted infection. Also, a study in India documented negative reproductive health consequences of child marriages.
5. Age based Discrimination: For e.g., Unequal access by adolescents to sexual and reproductive health information and services.
6. Structural obstacles: Religion and gender norms can influence the extent to which laws are implemented or enforced.
7. Lack of related data: Women’s informed decision-making is poorly measured, and data are missing or not regularly produced on women’s use of health services as well as on laws guaranteeing full and equal access to reproductive health care.
8. Lack of literacy and awareness about rights: The shortening of formal education for girls has a real impact on their reproductive health and their ability to make autonomous decisions.

A study showed that, the notion of consent within marriage is considered irrelevant because sex is thought to be a marital duty and therefore not a matter of consent.

Question 50

How can the reproductive health Indian woman be developed. Road ahead for reproductive health in India

Answer 50

1. International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has identified four overarching themes as crucial for improving reproductive health of Youth in India:
   - Develop cost effective strategies,
   - Address gender-based constraints to reproductive health,
   - Create community-based interventions, and
   - Involve men and boys.
2. Laws, policies and programming must take into account the differing needs and vulnerabilities of women, children, LGBTI communities, migrants and people in rural areas.
3. Supportive laws and policies in place so that children, parents and health workers have adequate rights-based guidance on consent, assent and confidentiality.
4. Monitoring and Data Collection: Monitoring is the key tool for mapping the effect of interventions, enabling periodic reviews and planning course corrections

Question 51

What is the community-based inclusive development programme

Answer 51

1. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launched a 6- month Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan/Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)
2. Program aims to create a pool of grass-root rehabilitation workers at community level who can work alongside ASHA and Anganwadi workers to handle cross disability issues and facilitate inclusion of PwDs in the society.
3. provide competency- based knowledge and skills among these workers to enhance their ability for successfully discharging their duties.
4. Mode of training for this course would be both offline/online considering, the prevailing COVID scenario.
5. CBID course has been co-designed by Rehabilitation Council of India and University of Melbourne.

Question 52

What do you mean by a person with disability

Answer 52

Person with disability” means a person with long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which, in interaction with barriers, hinders his full and effective participation in society equally with others.

Question 53

Discuss the disability demographic of India

Answer 53

Among the disabled population 56% (1.5 Cr) are males and 44% (1.18 Cr) are females.

Majority (69%) of the disabled population resided in rural areas

54% of the disabled children with multiple disabilities never attended educational institutions.

Also,50% of the children with mental illness never attended educational institution.

Question 54

What are the challenges faced by persons with disability in India

Answer 54

1`. Attitudinal barriers:
- Stereotyping: assuming their quality of life is poor
or that they are unhealthy because of their impairments.

2. Stigma, prejudice, and discrimination: punishment for wrongdoing, or as an indication of the lack of ability to behave as expected in society.
3. Social barriers: only around 55%(1.46Cr.) are literates.
   At all India level, only 36% of the total disabled persons are workers.
   Major issues faced are access to and within workplace, harassment and discrimination at work, and lack of positive attitude towards PWDs.
4. almost fourtimes more likely to experience violence .
5. Poverty and disability reinforce one another: Poor health and nutrition, poor living conditions, poor access to health services, lack of care given to pregnant mothers etc. among persons living in poverty can lead to disability.
6. Equally, the onset of disability can have an adverse effect on education, employment and earnings, increase living costs and result in higher rates of poverty.
7. Policy barriers: are related to a lack of awareness or enforcement of existing laws and regulations that require programs and activities be accessible to people with disabilities.
8. Barriers to healthcare and assistive technology: including prohibitive cost, limited availability of services, physical barrier, inadequate skills and knowledge of health workers etc.
9. As per estimates, only 5-15% of people who require assistive devices and technologies have access
10. Accessibility barriers: Design and construction of indoor and outdoor facilities can prevent them from going to school and hospitals, shopping, gaining access to services and finding or keeping a job. Footpaths, parks and public transportation may also be inaccessible.
11. Communicational Barriers: Experienced by people who have disabilities that affect hearing, speaking, reading, writing, and/or understanding.

Question 55

Suggest ways to improve the condition of disabled people in India

Answer 55

1. Attitudinal Change:
2. Improving access to social protection: In addition to disability-specific social protection, PwDs should have access to other programmes—including child and family allowances, unemployment benefits and social assistance schemes.
3. Disability inclusion in health sector: This involves access to effective health services, protection during health emergencies, and access to cross-sectorial public health interventions, such as water, sanitation and hygiene services.
4. Early diagnostic and intervention centres: It can help in primary prevention (prevention of the manifestation of the disability) and Secondary prevention (reducing the duration or severity of disability).
5. Assistive technologies: can enhance functional independence and make daily living tasks easier through the use of aids that help a person travel, communicate with others, learn, work, and participate in social and recreational activities.
6. Improving accessibility: By specifically considering needs of people with disabilities and building or
   modifying products, services, and facilities so that they can be used by people of all abilities.
7. Improving education and employment opportunities: By building accessible classrooms, providing disabled friendly study material, proper teacher training, identifying work and jobs disabled persons can do, incentives to employers to employ disabled workers etc.

Question 56

What are the legal provisions in India for persons with disability

Answer 56

Rights of persons with disability act 2016- reservation in jobs was increased from 3% to 4%

right to free education for every child

5% reservation in seats in government and government aided higher educational institutions

National Trust for the welfare of persons with autism cerebral palsy mental retardation and multiple disabilities act 1999

rehabilitation Council of India act 1992

Question 57

What are the policies or rules for people with disability in India

Answer 57

National policy for persons with disabilities 2006
ratified United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disability 2006

Adoption of Incheon strategy to make right real for persons with disabilities in Asia and Pacific

India is also signatory to the declaration on the full participation and equality of people with disabilities in Asia Pacific region

Biwaco millennium framework working towards an inclusive and barrier free and rights-based society

Question 58

Discuss the various schemes for persons with disability

Answer 58

1. National fund for persons with disability
   assistance to disabled persons for purchase or fitting of aids and appliances ADIP scheme
   scheme for implementing of persons with disabilities act 1995
2. accessible India campaign sugamya Bharat abhiyan hence the accessibility of built environment transport system and information and communication ecosystem
3. skill development program to establish
   early diagnostics and intervention centres at district and headquarters
4. unique ID for persons with disabilities project is being implemented with view of creating a national database of PWDs

Question 59

What are the steps taken in India to ease the process of adoption

Answer 59

1. CARA central adoption and registration agency - reduced the wait period: In the past, parents were told about one to three adoptable children at a time depending on availability.
   Parents who rejected their choices lost their place in the order of priority. Now they are being ensured one option every three months over a nine-month span.
2. Online registration portal CARINGS: Through Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) all prospective parents could access one list of children available for adoption across states.
   This portal has streamlined the process of adoption.
3. Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme: CPC scheme (erstwhile Integrated Child Protection Scheme) is a centrally sponsored scheme. It is being implemented by the MoWCD under the umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme for supporting the children in difficult circumstances in all the States/UTs.
   The scheme establishes a District Child Protection Unit to identify orphan, abandoned and surrendered children in the district and get them declared legally free for adoption by the Child Welfare Committee.
4. The 2021 amendment bill to the JJ Act, 2015: It empowers District Magistrates (DMs) and Additional DMs to authorise orders of adoption and proposes that appeals on the orders of adoption are referred to a Divisional Commissioner.

Question 60

Discuss the prominent features of the juvenile Justice care and protection of children amendment Bill 2021

Answer 60

1. Adoption order: The adoption order issued by the court establishes that the child belongs to the adoptive parents.
2. The Bill provides that instead of the court, the DM (including Additional DM) will issue such adoption orders.
3. Appeal against order: Any person aggrieved by an adoption order passed by the DM may file an appeal before the Divisional Commissioner, within 30 days from the date of passage of such order.
   Such appeals should be disposed within four weeks from the date of filing of the appeal.
4. Additional functions of the DM: These include: supervising the District Child Protection Unit; and conducting a quarterly review of the functioning of the Child Welfare Committee.
5. Bar some persons having record of violation of human rights to become members of the CWC
6. Widens the ambit of serious offences under under the 2015 at serious offences were punishable by imprisonment between 3 to 7 years the bill provides serious offences will also include offences for which maximum punishment is more than seven years and minimum punishment is not prescribed or is of less than seven years
7. There shall be a designated court under the act to be tried

Question 61

What more can be done to improve the condition of adoption in India

Answer 61

1. Give choices to prospective parents: They should give the applicants first preference to adopt a child belonging to their respective states
2. Weaving compassion in the adoption procedure: Each child has a different personality and that needs to be kept in mind while placing them in homes. There is a need to interact with potential families for some time, to prepare them for what it is like to live with a kid, especially with an older kid. Also, older kids should be given for adoption to families who live in the areas for which they have a sense of familiarity.
3. Institutional changes: Children on the street are the most common sight in India.
   The District Child Protection Officer should be taking these children to a childcare centre, and if their parents aren’t found, then they should be placed for adoption.
4. Also, around 28% of the child care centers are not registered with CWC. These centres must be
   mandated to get themselves registered in a time bound manner. Failure to do so, must lead to
   closure of such centres.
5. Special assistance to families in rural areas are not aware of legal adoption procedures or don’t like to follow the legal procedure.
   Special assistance should be given to such people.
6. Also,the adoption process needs to be made more trans parent.
7. Nationwide IEC campaign: This would help eliminate the prejudice and social stigma attached for adoption.