4 Marks Each

Question 14 Marks

Which schemes have been started by the Gujarat Government to give equality to women$?$ Explain.

Answer

Schemes and Programmes for equality of women and girls in Gujarat:

The following women's welfare schemes have been started by the Women and Child Development Department of Gujarat.

$1.$ Vidyalaxmi Bonds:

These bonds have been given to girls from villages with less than $35\%$ women literacy and from below poverty line families in urban areas.

$2.$ Saraswati Sadhna Yojna:

About one lakh fifty thousand girls have been given cycles free of cost.
The girls who go to study outside their village are given free travel facility by State Transport $(ST)$ buses.

$3.$ Sabla Yojna:

This programme provides nutritional food to adolescent girls and looks after the development of their skills.

$4.$ Women's Reservation:

There is 33% reservation for women in local self-government organizations like panchayat and. municipalities.
This has been increased from $33\%$ to $55\%.$

$5.$ Rastriya Swavlamban Yojna:

This has been implemented to provide pension to the workers and to poor old people including poor widows in the later part of their life.

$6.$ Mission Mangalam Yojna:

The government provides economic help to women through Sakhi Mandal to make them self-reliant.

$7.$ E-Mamta Programme:

This programme registers pregnant women through mobile technology and gives them 'Mamta card'.
This ensures regular health check-ups after birth of the child, health of mother and child is taken care of through vaccination programme.
This is done to reduce Mother Mortality Rate.

$8.$ Beti Bachchao Abhiyan:

Through this programme the gender discrimination is being checked and steps are taken to increase the number and education of the giri child.

$9.$ Chiranjivi Yojna:

This scheme provides pregnant women of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe with medicines, laboratory tests and operation facility free of cost.

$10. $ Entrance ceremony and Education Chariot Festival:

These programmes are done to increase the number of giri students and improve women's literacy.
However, the scenario is bad as many women and children don't get proper nutrition.
Many children are not able to read or write and many school dropouts.
Girls don't go for higher education.
Many young people are not able to get employment.
There are many deaths due to disease and accidents.
All these affect the Human Development Index of the country.
Therefore the people and the government have to work together to improve the index so that we are able to compete with developed countries.

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Question 24 Marks

Describe the challenges of human development.

Answer

India's Human Development Index is much lower than the top five countries in the Human Development Report. The challenges that come in the way of India's progress are:
$A.$ Health:

Health is an important and valuable asset.
It is essential for one's family and social life.
India needs to focus on population growth, common diseases, contagious diseases like $AIDS,$ malnutrition, handicaps and mental disorders.
Funds spent on health should not be counted as just expenditure but an investment into human resource development.
There has been a decline in birth rate, mortality rate and infant mortality rate and life expectancy rate is increased but a lot still needs to be done.
Water borne diseases and malnutrition have raised problem for people.
Many ladies, children and poor people do not get nutritious food so their body development suffers.
Increased urbanization, overcrowded residential areas, environment pollution and poisonous gases pose a threat to the health of people.

$B.$ Sex Ratio:

The Indian Constitution guarantees equality and justice to all the citizens.
However the number of females in less in India according to $2011$ census there are $48.46\%$ females and $51.54\%$ males in India.
Most women in India are involved in household chores and experience discrimination in family life, games, education, food and clothing.
They become victims to social evils still prevailing in society.
They suffer from inadequate health care, low literacy and are deprived of economic and educational rights.
They have no decision making power in the family and no earnings of their own.
Most of the higher post managerial and technical jobs are male dominated.
There are hardly $12.2\%$ female Members of Parliament and less number of women in the Legislative Assemblies also.
However, the scenario is still bad there are women and children who don't get proper nutrition.
Many children are not able to read or write and many school dropouts. Girls don't go for higher education. Many young people are not able to get employment.

$C.$ Women Empowerment:

Women empowerment is important for the economic development of the nation.
Women are the center of whole development process.
In any of the developing country, economic empowerment is the main aspect of women empowerment.
Economic freedom is an essential for women empowerment.
If a woman is educated she would educate a household, a society and ultimately the entire nation.
Women need to be encouraged to enter new fields of occupation which were dominated by males so there is a lot of scope for development and the nations needs to make the required efforts.

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Question 34 Marks

How is Human Development Index calculated$?$

Answer

Human Development Index $(HDI):$

The concept of Human Development Index was promoted by the Indian economist Amartya Sen a Nobel Prize winner.
The first Human Development Report was published in $1990$ under United Nations Development Programme $(UNDP).$
A report is published every year with a worldwide analysis of development of different nations in various dimensions.
The HDI is the cumulative measurement of:

$A.$ Average age (Life expectancy).
$B.$ Knowledge.
$C.$ Living standard (per capita income).

Human Development Index $(HDI)$ is calculated between $0$ and $1.$
A new technique to determine Human Development Index $(HDI)$ is being used since $2010.$

$A.$ Life Expectancy Index $(LEI) ($Average Age$):$

This index determines the longevity at the time of birth (prediction as to how many years will the infant survive).
The highest index is set at $83.6$ years and the lowest at $20$ years.
The life expectancy in India in $2015$ was $68$ years.

$B$. Education Index $(EI):$

This index is calculated on the basis of:

$i.$ Mean Years of Schooling $(MYS):$

It is the number of years spent in the school by an adult till the age of $25.$
Of this the highest is $13.3$ years and lowest is zero years.
The average years of schooling in India in $2015$ were $5.4$ years.

$ii.$ Expected Years of Schooling $(EYS)$:

It is the approximate years that a child of 5 years will spend in school.
Of this the highest is $18$ years and lowest is zero years.
The average years of schooling index were $11.7$ years.

$C.$ Income Index $(II) ($Life style$):$

For determining this index the Per Capita Gross Domestic Product and Per Capita National Income is taken into consideration.
The Per Capita National Income of India, in $2015$ was $5497$ while the Per Capita Gross Domestic Product was $5238.$
The Per Capita income of any nation is calculated on the basis of $USA$ as it is the most accepted currency and this is known as Purchasing Power Parity $(PPP).$

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