Since India attained its independence from the British Raj in 1947, women’s rights have been central to the idea of the republic and its national consciousness. Our Constitution not only granted political agency to women but also sought to close the gender gap with special provisions for women’s rights and their economic development, which are crucial to the progress of any country. And now that India has assumed G20 presidency, the same ideals of equality and empowerment are percolating into the international body’s list of key priorities.
The G20 is a group of the world’s 20 largest economies, which meet regularly to discuss and coordinate socio-economic and financial policies. Like any political and economic institution, G20 also runs a risk of either being inclusive or extractive. For the G20 2023, the onus of creating an institutional drift toward inclusive and sustainable growth has come to India. It faces the major task of representing the Global South’s concerns on international fora and altering a perspective that gives credence to the Global North’s perception of a problem. For the world economy to accelerate at a sustainable and balanced rate, all countries must work on a comprehensive strategy for structural transformation. Heavy emphasis on the self-regulating free market that has dominated the world of finance for a long time has shifted to elicit substantial criticism and prompt a more adaptable and inclusive market outlook.
India’s domestic policies push for broad-based rights for its women – from promoting digital literacy and financial inclusion to support for female entrepreneurs and ensuring gender pay parity via the new Labour Code. As a G20 member, India stands for holistic women-led development that is inclusive. We have 14.5 lakh women in grassroots leadership positions in Panchayati Raj institutions and around 9,000 in defence services. Government schemes like MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) and Mission Poshan have served lakhs of women in the country. These initiatives will help create a more inclusive and equitable society that ensures women’s participation in the global economy. India is truly leading by example.
Also read: G20 fault lines making it hard to walk its talk. India’s presidency a chance to plug gaps
India’s domestic policy has lessons in gender inclusion
India has been a land of entrepreneurial skill and zeal. Instead of vying to replicate the Global North, India has charted its own path to achieving pay parity and ensuring public participation. Today, women constitute more than 57.8 per cent of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)’s beneficiaries. India has initiated programmes that allow access to start-up funding and other tools to further increase female participation in its labour force, ensure diversity in its workforce, and provide women with access to greater growth opportunities. This will transform the non-revenue works done by a majority of Indian women into revenue and employment-generating businesses through the promotion of social entrepreneurship. The country boasts a vibrant population and remains a land of opportunity, with plenty of room for aspiring entrepreneurs. We have Gaurav Gramin Mahila Manch, Shri Mahila Griha Udyog, Lijjat Papad, Sakhi Pads, SEWA and several other Self Help Groups (SHGs) that have provided innumerable women with several opportunities to build a sustainable economic life.
Social entrepreneurship is what sets India apart from other G20 nations. It encompasses Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) points along with cultural aspects, which include actions such as granting the GI tag to Kashmir Pashmina, and attaching greater economic value to traditional arts and crafts. This provides the world with a four-pillared strong foundation of ESG + C. The ESG + C method not only aims to provide sustainable livelihoods but also showcases and saves the socio-cultural fabric of ‘Bhav’ (the essence of our culture and civilizational ethos ) in Bharat. Since these arts and crafts are part of a community’s cultural heritage, they are often practiced by community members employing local resources, and the knowledge of the skill is passed along across generations. This not only ensures a source of livelihood that is sustainable but keeps a community’s knowledge practices alive, strengthening its socio-cultural fabric
‘ESG+C’ is most effective in building a cognitive relationship between women’s empowerment and financial inclusion. Social enterprises are more attuned to and responsive to the requirements of the social market as they are often built organically. They also tend to be more gender inclusive and help preserve and promote folk culture. These enterprises also showcase the way forward through community engagement. These enterprises are built bottom-up and reflect people and their diversity—the many tribes, communities, and castes that define our nation.
Also read: Engage, engage, engage all sides—why India’s G-20 presidency is good news for world powers
Decoding Indian policy shifts
India’s approach of seeking continuous engagement with women stakeholders showcases a major policy shift, with the primary goals of interconnectedness, collaboration and mass outreach. Examples of this policy change are programmes such as ‘Atmanirbhar Nari Shakti Se Samvad’, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through video conferencing, spoke to members of women’s self-help groups associated with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), the Centre’s poverty relief programme. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched to provide LPG connections to women from households below the poverty line, has allowed them to replace polluting firewood with clean fuel, ensuring a step toward a better quality of life. Another impactful policy has been the JAM Trinity – Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobiles. It not only ensured the inclusion of unbanked and under-banked people into the financial system but also allowed them access to various financial services for economic growth and empowerment.
The government’s Skill India Mission, implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), is promoting inclusive skill development by increasing the participation of women in programmes meant to accelerate their economic growth. The Ministry offers an array of schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), Craftsmanship Training Scheme (CTS), and Craft Instructor Training Scheme (CITS), focusing on training and developing skills among people from diverse backgrounds. Under PMKVY, public and private partnership is being encouraged. One such example is Airbnb collaborating with the hospitality and tourism sectors to support homestay services.
These schemes will strengthen the country’s institutional framework for effective coordination of skill training. The creation of a centralised database of trainees to better adapt to the needs of different regions and socioeconomic demographics is a forward policy leap. Credible content generation, curriculum design, and training delivery have done wonders for the reputation of Indian education abroad and the competitiveness of Indian players on the world stage. The government’s focus has shifted from women’s development to women-led development. To achieve this goal, the government is working ceaselessly to maximise women’s access to education, skill training and institutional credit.
Today, India is well-positioned to leverage its leadership to ensure that a strong, gender-inclusive perspective permeates the G20 and establishes an innovative framework that countries can embrace in the future.
Aditi Narayani is an assistant professor of sociology at Lakshmibai College, Delhi University. She tweets @AditiNarayani. Rekha Sharma is chairperson of the National Commission for Women. She tweets @sharmarekha. Views are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)