Kudumbashree aims at the empowerment of women, giving them the central place in the programmes meant for their benefit. They will no longer be passive recipients but active leaders. The action plan charted out is: -

1. Formation of women collectives.
   
   The poor women from families identified will be organised into Neighbourhood Groups (NHG) representing 15 to 40 families. A five-member team elected from the NHGs will be the cutting edge of the programme.
   
   NHGs will be federated democratically into Area Development Societies (ADS) at the Panchayat/Municipality Ward level and then into Community Development Societies (CDS) at the Panchayat/Municipal level. Their organizational structures will provide opportunities for collective public action.

2. More information/Training.
   
   Weekly meetings of NHGs, sharing of experiences, discussions, organised/unorganized trainings etc., will broaden their outlook on better health, better education, better social and economic status.

3. Skill upgradation Trainings.
   
   To facilitate economic development, suitable skill upgradation trainings will be given to women.

4. Thrift - credit operations and 24 hour banking system.
   
   Enabling women to realize their latent potential, strengthening them through self-help are the main objectives of Kudumbashree. Small savings generated at the families are pooled at various levels as thrift and used to attract credit from banks, which will operate as 24-hour bank for the poor, acting as a sub-system of the formal banks.

5. Better living conditions - Infrastructural facilities.
   
   The needs identified at NHG level are shaped as micro plans which are integrated into mini plans at ADS level and action plan at CDS level. This will be the anti-poverty sub plan of the local body and this will facilitate convergent delivery of Government programmes meant for the poor. Rather than the traditional system of heavily subsidized approach, Kudumbashree promote self-help approach for building houses, latrines, access to drinking water, sanitary facilities etc., availing the minimum support from Government. Common infrastructural facilities in the community strengthens them further.

6. Micro-enterprises for sustainable economic development.
   
   Providing skill upgradation trainings, self-employment opportunities and infrastructural development through wage employment schemes are the preparing grounds for further development of successful micro enterprises. Kudumbashree is bent on giving necessary resource support and facilitate forward/backward linkages etc., to promote micro-entrepreneurship among poor women.

7. Power to the people especially the poor women.
   
   The skill for identification of needs, fixing priorities, availing resources, bridging gap between needs and resources in a cost effective manner etc., are taught to the poor women groups in various phases. In the decentralization of power to the local bodies and common man, Kudumbashree can act as a healthy sub-system facilitating participation of poor women in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the programme.

8. Leadership - Decision making power.
   
   Interaction in women collectives will help them to have a better understanding, which will lead to the emergence of leadership. This will help to ensure efficient women leadership to elected bodies in future.

9. The ultimate Goal.
   
   Reaching out family through women, and community through family, is the ultimate target of Kudumbashree.

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN - KERALA

• Kerala is a State with an impressive array of achievements in the field of women development. It has a high female literacy rate of 86.2%, a low IMR of 13 (against the national average of 80) a favourable sex ratio of 1032 female/1000 male, low MMR 0.8/1000, High Life Expectancy ratio 74 female/70 male etc., just to mention a few. But in spite of all these achievements the conspicuous absence of women in the public domain remains as a paradox of the Kerala model of development.

• The economic marginalisation of women in the development process has drawn considerable attention during recent years. While the female work participation rate in India increased from 19.7% to 22.7% between 1981 and 1991, in Kerala the ratio declined from 16.6% to 15.9% during the same period. The incidence of unemployment among females in the State is higher than that among males by 5 times in rural areas and 3 times in urban areas. (The unemployment in Kerala is severe and is 3 times larger than that in India.

• The sexual division of labour has resulted in the concentration of women in low paying unorganized sectors such as agricultural labour, cottage and traditional industries and selected service sectors. Despite the powerful trade union movements, equal wages for equal work still remains a mirage and gender discrimination at the work place is widely prevalent.

• The marginalisation of women in the economic process and lack of control over resources have been major impediments in improving the status of women.

• The violence against women and incidence of sexual harassment continue to increase (number of registered crimes increased from 1862 in 1991 to 4937 in 1996).

• Despite the general progressive political environment in the State, active involvement of women in various leadership levels are virtually lacking.