Volume : 2, Issue : 6, June - 2013

Development Planning and Status of Women in Jammu and Kashmir

Gurcharn Singh, Dr. Rajni Sharma

Abstract :

Developmental planning is an integrative concept, which seeks to coalesce all the aspects of development i.e. economic, political, social and cultural, within its framework. It has a long–term perspective and is not merely an endeavor for providing adhoc growth targets in each of the separate sectors of planning. This type of developmental planning has existed in all the developing countries. Most of the national developmental plans provide for economic, physical infrastructural, educational, health and welfare targets of growth or expansion. In this sense, it is an integrative concept and the nature of this integration depends upon the nature of values, type of society and the social groups towards which, planning is to be targeted. Women constitute around 47% of the total population of the State. The development of women, no doubt, has been a part of the development planning process right from inception of Five Year Plans but the shift in approach from welfare to development toward women took place in a focused manner in the 6th and 7th Five Year Plans. The 8th Five Year Plan promised to ensure that benefits of development do not bypass women. The 9th Five Year Plan changed the strategy for women from development to empowerment and emphasis on preparation of separate Women Component Plan (WCP) by identifying specific Schemes/Projects having direct bearing on welfare and development of Women. The 12th Five Year Plan further strengthened the implementation of Women Component Plan (WCP). Moreover, the Women and Child Development Department in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has also enjoined upon the states to monitor closely the flow of benefits of various schemes for the empowerment of women on regular basis. This paper deals with the role of development planning and status of the women in the J&K and describes the initiatives which helped in improving the status of women in various spheres to a great extent.