Of late, women’s empowerment has been a central theme for the Indian government and various state governments. In recent weeks, several Indian states have launched novel initiatives to boost equality and opportunity for women in their respective home states. Here’s a look at a few such programs.
Women's empowerment in India is advancing in the right direction, with increased participation in education and politics, even as persistent structural barriers remain. According to the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS), the female labor-force participation rate (FLFPR) rose sharply from 23.3 per cent in 2017- 18 to 41.7 per cent in 2023-24. Likewise, the worker population ratio (WPR) for women increased from about 22 per cent in 2017-18 to 40.3 per cent in 2023-24.
These gains reflect the rise in self-employment, increased outreach of women-targeted schemes, and a policy shift toward enabling women’s economic participation.
State governments often play a significant role in driving grassroots-level, targeted initiatives that aim to empower women. Across India, schemes offer direct transfer benefits, credit-linked support, digital single-window platforms for women’s services, mobility and transport initiatives geared to women, and ambulatory entrepreneurship programs. Together, these initiatives reflect tangible progress as more women are acquiring education, entering the workforce in larger numbers, exercising legal rights, and gaining economic agency.
Building on this momentum, the past few weeks have witnessed several state governments launching targeted initiatives to accelerate women’s empowerment. Here is a closer look at eight such state-led efforts driving real change on the ground.
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