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Unit 10: Women's Empowerment

women, to review the existing legislations and suggest amendments, wherever necessary. It has Notes
also to look into the complaints and take suo moto notice of the cases involving deprivation of the
rights of women in order to provide support, legal or otherwise, to helpless and needy women.
Ensuring custodial justice is another important function. The Commission is also empowered to
monitor the proper implementation of all the legislations made to protect the rights of women so
as to enable them to achieve equality in all spheres of life and equal participation in the development
of the nation. The Commission has undertaken different activities such as review of laws and
legislative measures, inquiries related to violence against women, sexual harassment at work
place, empowerment of women, speedy justice to women through Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats and
Custodial Justice.
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh
The National Credit Fund for Women (Rashtriya Mahila Kosh) was set up on 30 March, 1993 with
corpus fund of Rs. 31 crore with the major objective of meeting the credit needs of poor women,
particularly in the informal sector. The RMK is managed by a Governing Board comprising 16
members. The Minister of State for Women and Child Development is the Chairperson of the
Kosh. The Kosh has sanctioned upto 30 April, 2002 loans amounting to Rs. 11,092.87 lakh to
benefit 4,23,125 women through 1,016 NGOs.
National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development
National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) (New Delhi) is an
autonomous organisation under the ageis of the Department of Women and Child Development,
Ministry of Human Resource Development. The objects of the Institute are to develop and promote
voluntary action in social development; take a comprehensive view of child development and
develop and promote programme in pursuance of the National Policy for Children; develop
measures for coordination of governmental and voluntary action in social development; and
evolve framework and perspective for organising children’s programmes through governmental
and voluntary efforts.
In order to achieve the objectives, the Institute conducts research and evaluation studies; organises
training programmes, seminars, workshops, conferences; and provides documentation and
information services in the fields of public cooperation and child development. The Institute is the
apex body for training of functionaries of the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS)
programme. It provides technical advice and consultancy to government and voluntary agencies
in promoting and implementing policies and programmes for child development and voluntary
action. In addition, it collaborates with regional and international agencies, research institutions,
universities and technical bodies. The Institute has four Regional Centres at Bangalore, Guwahati,
Indore and Lucknow.
Central Social Welfare Board
The Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) was set up in 1953 with the objective of promoting
social welfare activities and implementing welfare programmes for women, children and
handicapped through voluntary organisations. It was the first organisation in post-Independence
era to achieve people’s participation for implementation of welfare programmes for women and
children through non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In 1954 the State Social Welfare Boards
were set up in the States and UTs. The programmes implemented by the Board include; socio-
economic programme for needy/destitute women, condensed courses of education and vocational
training courses for women and girls, awareness generation projects for rural and poor women,
family counselling centres/voluntary action bureau, holiday camps for children, welfare extension
projects in boarder areas are balwadis, creches and hostles for working women etc.

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