Question 1

The recent rise in India's FLFPR to 41.7% means millions of women have secured formal, high-paying corporate or industrial jobs.

Accepted Answer

The increase is largely driven by rural women engaging in self-employment, unpaid family labour, and agriculture, often as a distress-driven response to supplement household income.

Question 2

Nari Adalats are formal statutory courts with the power to sentence offenders and pass binding legal judgments.

Accepted Answer

Nari Adalats are alternative dispute resolution forums focused on counseling, negotiation, and mediation, with no formal statutory judicial powers to issue binding legal decrees.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the 'Nari Adalat' initiative highlighted during India's gender justice interventions:
1. It is implemented as a component of the 'Samarthya' sub-scheme under Mission Shakti.
2. It operates at the Gram Panchayat level and comprises 7 to 11 members known as Nyaya Sakhis.
3. It has been granted statutory judicial powers to pass binding civil decrees in property disputes.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(a) Only one — Statement 1 is incorrect; Nari Adalat falls under the 'Sambal' (safety and security) sub-scheme, not 'Samarthya' (empowerment). Statement 2 is correct; it operates at the Gram Panchayat level using local women collectives called Nyaya Sakhis. Statement 3 is incorrect; it is an alternative grievance redressal and mediation mechanism, lacking formal statutory judicial powers to pass binding decrees. Thus, only Statement 2 is correct.

Question 4

Match the policy frameworks/concepts (List I) with their primary objectives or characteristics (List II):
List I:
A. Sambal
B. Samarthya
C. Nari Adalat
D. DAY-NRLM

List II:
1. Umbrella sub-scheme focused on women's economic empowerment.
2. Umbrella sub-scheme focused on the safety and security of women.
3. Institutional platform for mobilizing over 9 million rural women's Self-Help Groups.
4. Alternate grievance redressal mechanism relying on negotiation and mediation.

Accepted Answer

(a) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3 — Under Mission Shakti, 'Sambal' (A) focuses on safety and security (2) and 'Samarthya' (B) focuses on empowerment (1). 'Nari Adalat' (C) is a local mediation forum for dispute resolution (4). DAY-NRLM (D) is the rural livelihoods mission that mobilizes SHGs (3).

Question 5

Assertion (A): While India's Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) has sharply increased to 41.7% in 2023-24, economists caution against viewing this purely as an indicator of comprehensive economic empowerment.
Reason (R): A significant portion of the recent increase in female employment is concentrated in unpaid family labour and agricultural own-account work, reflecting distress-driven employment rather than formal job creation.
Select the correct answer:

Accepted Answer

(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A. — The assertion correctly states the nuance behind the 41.7% FLFPR figure. The reason provides the exact factual backing for this caution: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data shows that the surge is largely driven by rural women entering unpaid family labor or agriculture due to household economic distress, rather than moving to formal, well-paying sectors. Therefore, R perfectly explains A.

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