Lalitpur, April 12:

Though the government has formulated plans and policies for the uplift of backward and disadvantaged women in the country, those are yet to benefit the target groups.

The government, under the Department of Women’s Development (DWD), has many plans for the uplift of women through income generation and skill development programmes. But these Women Development Programmes (WDPs) are often inaccessible to target groups, said a report.

WDPs are in operation in 1,593 VDCs and 31 municipalities across the country, the annual DWD report said, adding, but the majority of women is yet to benefit from these programmes.

“The progress of the programmes is slow. The initial period of 1999-2001 saw a very slow spread of programmes in remote districts. Programmes aimed at income generation and awareness in over 900 VDCs were also too ambitious,” the report said.

The biggest challenge before WDPs is to give continuity to past efforts for women’s empowerment.

“The programmes have also been affected by the shortage of donor funds. The fund crunch has made prospects of continuation of the WDPs bleak,” the report said.

The DWD has been allocated Rs 176 million budget for the fiscal year 2005-06, which will be distributed through district and central level bodies.

The countrywide expansion of VDC-level and central-level programmes, and the stablishment of over 1,000 women organisations and gender mainstreaming programmes are the main achievements of WDPs.

Many programmes are being carried out with the support of INGOs: Decentralised Action for Children and Women by DACAW, UNDP; Strengthening the Capacity of Nodal Agencies by SNIP; Population and Reproduction Health Integrated Project by PARHI; and Biodiversity Sector Programme for Siwaliks and Terai by BISEP.