The low status of women in large segments of Indian society cannot be raised without opening up opportunities of independent employment and income for them. The long-term objectives of the developmental programmes for women would be to raise their economic and social status in order to bring them into the mainstream of national life and development. Due recognition has to be accorded to the role and contribution of women in various socio-economic, political and cultural activities. The ‘Seventh Five Year Plan’ operated in keeping with the spirit of the decade which aimed at integrating women into mainstream of national development, emphasized the need to open new avenues of work for women and perceive them as a crucial resource for the development of the country. The thrust was to provide five principal categories of services:
Participants