Some cheer, many unmet needs for Indian women

India Saturday celebrated International Women's Day hailing the odd astronaut or the rare army officer for conquering male bastions in a country still in two minds about allowing them a share in decision-making.

India Saturday celebrated International Women's Day hailing the odd astronaut or the rare army officer for conquering male bastions in a country still in two minds about allowing them a share in decision-making.

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Amid reports of sexual harassment, rape, dowry and medical neglect, various states marked the day with awareness campaigns and workshops underscoring the need to provide healthcare and empowerment to Indian women.

The central government Saturday launched a yearlong nationwide campaign to make women aware of their health and educate them, with the slogan: "Healthy Woman: Happy Family."

Only about 50 per cent of women in the country can read and write and even fewer women have access to good healthcare owing to neglect and the traditional disregard of their needs in the family.

Calling for an end to archaic traditions in a message, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Jaskaur Meena said: "One such tradition - that of women eating left over food after feeding the family is not proper. She should eat nutritious food along with the family."

Some 700 women sup with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Saturday, a day after political parties failed to arrive at a long overdue consensus on reserving a third of seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

With women occupying fewer than 10 percent seats in Parliament and millions in the country yet to participate in even simple family decisions, Vajpayee's tea party for women journalists is meant to carry a message.

"It is an affirmation of the prime minister's wish to see the Women's Reservation Bill through," said a Vajpayee aide.

Many political groups belonging to the opposition as well as the ruling coalition are opposed to the measure and have mooted various alternatives such as reducing the proposed quota or introducing a quota for the underprivileged within the quota.

One of the main detractors of the bill is Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav whose wife Rabri Devi is Bihar's chief minister but obviously rules by proxy.

"The legislation should not be pushed through by a brute majority," he warned, seeking more time to consult other opposition groups.

The legislation to reserve 33 per cent seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women has been put off since 1996 when it was first introduced.

Punjab dedicated the day to astronaut Kalpana Chawla, a native of neighbouring Haryana who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster. The state government organised a function to pay its tributes.

In its ode to women, the Indian capital - which has women leading all its key departments including the state government - announced a special subsidised loan to encourage rural self-employment.

"If you empower women, you strengthen the nation," said the human resource development ministry, calling for a pledge to end dowry harassment, domestic violence, discrimination against the female child and child abuse.

There has been an encouraging rise in the number of women in the organised sector and the civil services, says a special study by the National Commission for Women (NCW) released on the occasion.

But the figures remain woefully low compared to other countries, with female workers plagued by sexual discrimination and harassment.

The NCW report says the number of women workers in the public sector has increased marginally from four percent in 1991 to 5.68 per cent in 2001, but a mere 23 percent of them are in top posts - much less than many countries.

A national workshop on "Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace" called for a new law against discrimination on the grounds of sex, race and caste binding for both the public and private sector.

Speaking at the event, International Labour Organisation director Herman van der Laan said remedial and preventative action was imperative to end gender discrimination.

"Silence on this critical issue will spell untold atrocities on women who account for 22 per cent of the total workforce in India."