Challenges and Progress: Empowering Rural Women in 2011 Census
India an agrarian country where more than 65 percent population live in rural areas and still 54.6 percent of the total workforce in the country is engaged in agricultural and allied sector activities which accounts for approximately 178 percent of the country's Gross Value Added (GVA) fur the year 2019-20 (601, 2021), India is a country which attained independence in 1947, but the rural urban divide and the rich poor divide are still plaguing India. Gender is the inevitable push factor for growth and development of a nation like india in india, women and youth constitute a major share of population. It nurgently needed to mobilise this vast human resource of women and youth, if the country has to progress in all spheres and also compete globally. Women play the important roles in the rural economy as farmers, wage sarners and entrepreneurs They who take responsibility for the well being of the members of their families, including food provision and care for children and the elderly. Rural women's unpaid work, particularly in poor households, often includes collecting wood and water. Women from indigenous and grassroots communities are often also custodians of traditional knowledge, which is the key for the communities livelihoods, resilience and culture. Yet, women in rural areas face constraints in engaging in economic activities because of gender-based discrimination and social norms disproportionate involvement in unpaid work, and unequal access to education, healthcare property, and financial and other services. They are also disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts environmental disasters and cute change Promoting and ensuring gender equality, and empowering rural women through decent work and productive employment, not only combates to inclusive and sustainable economic growth, but also enhances the effectiveness of poverty raduction and food security initiatives, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts On the other hand, youth being enthusiastic vibrant, innovative and dynamic in nature is the most important section of the population Youth shows strong passion, motivation and will power which who make them the most valuable human resource for fostering economic, cultural and political development of a nation, in spite of the draw backs in the implementation of the , legislation, significant benefits have already started accruing 10 women and youth through better access to local employment, at mamum wages, skill development schemes with relatively decent and safe work conditions. The Government has framed different programmes/ichemes to uplift the women and youth from poverty and vulnerability of life in rural areas.
Status of Rural Women:
Rural women in India are less literate than rural men. According to 2011 census, the populations of rural women who are literate are 58.8 percent (Census, 2011), The status of women is nut effectually recognised in rural communities They experience discriminatory treatment as compared to their male counterparts. Mostly women are deprived of certain rights and opportunities in rural areas because of the people's mindset Rural women are vital and productive workers in India's national economy There is also statistical bias in under estimating the role of naal women in development Women work for longer hours than men and contribute substantially to family income, they are not perceived an productive workers (Pankajam and Lalitha, 2005). Women are silent workers who are struggling to complete her household duties from dawn to dusk in rural areas, very few women have ownership over land or productive assets This proves to be a road block in institutional credit. Majority of the agricultural labourers are women and they mainly assigned manual labour Men, especially perform operations involving machinery. Agriculture which is the mainstay of the rural Indian economy is mainly sustained by the female workforce. Women are the invisible life line of the agrarian rural community life. Rural women from childhood days have to bear the burden of taking care of younger siblings. cooking, engaging in domestic chores, looking parents house. Most of the dairy farm work is being done by the women, especially milking and processing of milk etc. in the present scenario, rural women are continuously empowered through various development trainings, greater opportunities to acquire education. Many government institutions and non-government organisations working towards empowerment of this vast human resource, to that they can contribute in greater way to the rural economic growth and development of India.
Status of Youth:
A country's ability and potential for growth is determined by the size of its youth population, The energy and passion of the youth if utilised properly, can bring huge positive change to the society and progress to the nation. Youth are the creative digital innovaturs in the communities and participate as active citizens, eager to positively contribute to sustainable growth and development. This section of the population peeds to be harnessed: motivated, skilled and streamned properly to bring rapid progress for a country. The total youth population increased from 168 million in 1971 to 423 million in 2011 The share of youth population in total population has been increasing continuously from the level of 30.6 percent in the year 1971 to 34.8 percent in the year 2011. It was expected to have 34.33 percent share of youth in total population by 2020 The share of youth among male and female is indicative of prevalence of healthy fertility levels in the general population and net addition to the population pool in india in 2013, about 225 milion youth, or 20 percent of all youth in the developing world, are "idle-not in education, employmentor training. Knowledge and education are key factors to the full and effective participation of youth in the processes of social, economic and political development. Increased attention to improving participation rates of young people, particularly marginalised youth, is needed to ensure that they acquire the knowledge, capacities, skil and ethical values needed to fulfil their role as ages of development, good governance, social leclusion, tolerance and peace.
There is not much information available about young farmers in India in spite of the after the fodder of the domestic animals in theirhetoric of youth being a demographic dividend we know even less about young women fermers (Vijayabaskar et al., 2018), in 2012, 366 percent of India's rural youth in the age group 15-20 years derived their livelihood from agriculture, forestry or fishing (Vaybaskar et al, 2018. According to a recent international Labour Organisation (ILO). estimate, female employment in agriculture was 57 percent in 2018 compared to 19 percent female employment industry and 24 percent in services. Young women farmers experiences are lost between the two categories of rural youth and women. Even in the substantial body of work focused on women farmers in India, the generational aspects of women farmers are often under-researched
Role of Women in Rural Growth
Women are key agents for rural growth and development in India. They play a catalytic rale towards achievement of transformational economic viromental and social changes reqered for sustainable development. When women are economically and socially empowered, they become a potent force for change. Women are an integral part of any society and they play a crucial role in the economy of both developed and developing one. The rural women, play many social and economic roles inside as well as outside the home, but their contribution does not receive due recognition by the society. The rural women are extremely skilled on various income generating activities. They are playing a vital role in the economic well-being of the families and society as a whole in rural Indie
1. Agriculture in rural areas, ILO hasted that almost 33 percent of work force of young men and women engaged in informal sector like agriculture. The rural women are extensely involved in agricultural activities. However, the nature and extent of their involvement differ with the variation of agriculture production system The made of women participation in agricultural production varies with the land Cowing status of farm household. Women are mainly involved in harvesting drying, threshing, winnowing and storage of field crops, Participation of women in planting and weeding is significantly higher than that of inen. If women are empowered with latest technical advancement in agriculture and equipments, the productivity of agriculture will be enhanced through timely and proper application of agronomic practices.
2. Animal Husbandry:
in armal husbandry women have played a multiple rain. With regional difference, women take care of animat, grazing, fudder collection, Oeaning of animal sheds to processing milk and livestock products in livestock management, 90 percent. indoor jobs like milking, feeding, cleaning etc. are done by women
3 Allied Sectors:
Sericulture, handloom and textile industries in rural economy especially northeast region, has huge potentiality for women employment generation See rural communities have basic skills and the local market for such products
4 Small Scale Industries:
Women in rural economy are directly or indirectly involved in processing of Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) particularly in the small-scale enterprises This includes basket, broom rope making, tasar silk cocoon rearing, lac cultivation, oil extraction and bambou works etc. Women constituted almost Spercent of the total employed in to forest based amali scale industries in Odisha man collect grass for basket making while women cure it and make the basket
5. Other Job Opportunities:
fiducation among women has opened some other job opportunities in the rural aren at a large scale These are the insurance agent, company representative NGO workers, Anganwadi workers etc. Due to globalisation and IT sectors on the rural area, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has grown exponentielly across the country in recent years. The gigantic growth of this sector is now reaching out to The most comervative part of the rural india as well where educated women can play vital role for further rural growth Women's economic empowerment increases women's access to economic resources and opportunities including jobs, francat services property and other productive assets skills development and market information, Women's economic participation and empowerment are fundamental tu strengthening their rights and enables them to have control over their lives and esert influence in society
Role of Youth in Rural Growth:
Young people are innovative and creative in problem solving and in finding solutions they are the key to helping communities in meeting their subsistence needs, improving the security of the people and even acquiring control over their own lives. The youth can lead to economic development as well as the social development of their communities and society. There have been various areet that demand for the role of rural youth, these have been stated as follows:
1. Agriculture:
Agriculture is stated to be the man occupation in the rural areas and this occupation requires extensive research, production, utilisation of science and technology, cropping, rigation and many more functions. Youth, who are well educated and possess afficient knowledge of how to implement agricultural activities, assist in the development of agncultural activities. Mating www of technologies in the agricultural sector, implementing extensive research is the work of the rutal youth (Benet 2007)
2. Small Scale Industries:
in rural areas, besides agriculture, setting up of small-scale industries require workers. There has been key investment of youth in the development of skills of the workers who are eat educated, so that they can acquire jobs in these small scale industries and make a ving Employment: in industries requires skills and expertise, therefore, the skill development amongst the rural masses is essential, especially amongst the women so that they can acquire jobs
3. Skill Development:
It a stated that development of sus and expertise of the people is essential for a sector to progress and develop. Whether or not an individuals able to read or write, but skill development imperative for his/her progression. Su development is in various areas such as operation of machines manufacturing of goods, sports, music, and usage of technology, computers and so forth. Skills and talents amongst the rural masses lead to the economic growth and development of the country.
4. Education:
Educational institutions are essential amongst the rural areas as education enables anindividual to seek a living for himself There has beet encouragement of education amongst the rural masses by establishing educational statutions and providing education free of cost. Every individual should be granted admission, irrespective of one's age and socio-economic background so that they acquire literacy and live a meaningful life After getting proper education, an individual has the capacity to contribute for the welfare of his family which ultimately leads to better growth and development of the nation.
5 Employment Opportunities:
Every individual longs for employment, to have a job, and have some kind of work so that they can ustam their living and livelihood. The youth is contributing towards generationof employment opportunities for the rural masses whether they work in the agricultural sector, industrial sector, production, manufacturing, own small le stalls, se snacks/daily use items and other products and so forth.
Rural growth and development is vital for the overall progress of the country in rural areas there have been many aspects that need to be focused upon, such as generation of jobs and a employment for the rural youth construction of houses, schools and aducational institutions medical and health care facilities, agriculture. industries, nutritional requirements focusing upon the skill development of the youth and facilities such as electricity, energy, water, gas and cooking equipment. At these areas need to be focused upon and the role of youth is very essential these areas. Thus, it can be understood that the rafe of youth has been imperative in the case of rural growth and development, provided the youth whole heartedly contribute and works with rest and enthusiasm
Challenges of Women and Youth:
Most rural women and youth are either employed (waged and self-employed) or not wi the labour force. The issue, therefore, is not an much about unemployment, but anrious under employment in low productivity, predominantly household-based activities Almost one-quarter of young people live in households where income per head is less than one dollar a day (Bennell 2007) It is better, therefore, to focus on hood improvement of the most disadvantaged youth rather than unemployed. Rural women are still facing lot of challenges of unequal access to productive resources; limited access to services of education, extension, credit and social protection, widespread inequalities in rural labour markets, combinedt with heavy burden of unpaid care work in households and communities and limited participation, voice and influence in rural organisations. However, rural youth have some different charges of timited access to productive and gainful employment in the agricultural sector, limited access to skills development and education; excluded from institutions that provide access to financial services, such as credit, savings and insurance and lack of curricula tailored to the labour marker's needs. Apart from these rural women and youth often face major health problems, xluding malnutrition, mularia and other diseases All these issues mainly impact rural women and youth's productivity and livelihoods Moreover, women and youth, especially in rural areat, do not usually have any organsad and vocal organisation with the economic and social power to lably for their rights and dues
Improving Woman and Youth Livelihoods:
Women and youth comprise such a targe proportion of the rural labour force, that most development programmes in rural areas do promote women and youth livelihoods to a large extent. The gender and health bias issues shutd be solved through the proper implementation of healthy policies in rural areas The main problems of rural areas are lack of opportunities of employment for women and youth. The employment policies should focus on increasing the demand for labour in relation to supply, and (i) increasing the integrability of disadvantaged women and youth so that they can take advantage of labour market and other economic opportunities when they arise. The provision of good quality post school skills training (both pre- employment and job-related remains very limited in most rural areas. However, now Government of India has made some interventions by Introducing Skill India development program for the rural youth. There are large number of policy Interventions to improve the livelihoods of rural women and youth. These policy interventions and rural training institutions are very useful to make rural women and youth more productive in their respective works. Rural women and youth should be suitably empowered enough socially as well as on capital front so that they can take decisions in capital formation and their family welfare.
Conclusion:
The role of women and youth in bringing growth and development in rural areas immense, however it need to be further explored in rural areas, the various capital formation activities like agriculture, small- scale industries, skill development, education and other job epportunities need efficient and fullest participation of women and youth. These areas are in an under-developed state thus, participation of women and youth make them sustainable and bring more prospenty and growth to the rural areas Hence, the women and youth contribute in bringing about improvements in the infrastructural facilities and promote empowerment opportunities in this way, if rural india will shine the whole country will have immense contributions nationally, regionaly and also globally in this century.
