Policies Advocating Women's Concerns

In addition to women-specific and women-related policies enunciated in various plan documents, the government has also been creating an enabling policy environment in which women's concerns can be reflected, articulated and redressed by the government, the voluntary agencies and the corporate sector. As part of this effort, many policy instruments have been brought forth, over the years, leading to Action Plans and programmes in several spheres.

The National Plan of Action for Women (NPA) adopted in 1976 became a guiding document for the development of women till 1988 when a National Perspective Plan for Women was formulated.

The National Perspective Plan for Women (NPP) (1988-2000) drafted by a Core-Group of experts is more or less a long term policy document advocating a holistic approach for the development of women. 

'Shram Shakti' - the report of the National Commission on Self-employed Women and Women in the Informal Sector (1988) examines the entire gamut of issues facing women in the unorganised sector and makes a number of recommendations relating to employment, occupational hazards, legislative protection, training and skill development, marketing and credit for women in the informal sector.

The National Expert Committee on Women Prisoners (1986) examined the condition of women prisoners in the criminal correctional justice system and made a series of recommendations relating to necessary legislative reform, prison reforms and reforms of other custodial institutions and rehabilitation of prisoners so far as women prisoners are concerned.

The National Nutritional Policy (NNP), 1993 articulates nutritional consideration in all important policy instruments of government and identifies short-term and long-term measures necessary to improve the nutritional status of women, children and the country as a whole.

The National Plan of Action for the Girl Child (NPA) 1991-2000 is an integrated multi-sectoral decadal Plan of Action. for ensuring survival, protection and development of children with a special gender sensitivity built for the girl child and adolescent girls.

In addition to these, there are many other women-related policies like the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1966, National Health Policy (NHP) 1983, National Commission for Women's Act (NCW) 1990, which have been influencing the welfare and development of women and children in the country.