The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the India constitution in its preamble fundamental rights, fundamental duties and directive principles. The constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the state to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, plans and programmes have aimed at women's advancement in different spheres.

However, there still exists a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the constitution, legislation, policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other. This has been analyzed extensively in the report of the committee on the status of women in India, "Towards Equality", 1974 and highlighted in the national perspective plan for women, 1988-200, the shramshakti report, 1988 and the platform for action, five years after an assessment.

In line with the above the national empowerment policy for women was adopted in 2001. the goal of this policy is to bring about the advancement, development and empowerment of women.