From Margins to Mainstream: Women's Empowerment and Sustainable Rural Transformation in Telangana

Mercy Vasantha

From Margins to Mainstream: Women's Empowerment and Sustainable Rural Transformation in Telangana

Author(s)	Dr. Mercy Vasantha
Country	India
Abstract	Telangana's rural development trajectory since statehood in 2014 has been shaped substantially by the mobilisation of women through self-help groups, Panchayati Raj institutions, and flagship welfare schemes. This paper examines the relationship between women's empowerment and sustainable rural transformation in the state, situating the discussion within the broader debate on gender and development in post-bifurcation Telangana. Drawing on secondary data from the Census of India, the National Family Health Survey, and state government reports, the paper documents shifts in women's literacy, workforce participation, asset ownership, and political representation, and examines how these shifts intersect with rural livelihoods, natural resource management, and household well-being. The analysis shows that while institutional channels such as Stree Nidhi and the 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies have expanded women's visibility in public life, empowerment remains uneven across caste, class, and regional lines, and has not automatically translated into ecological or economic sustainability at the village level. The paper argues that sustainable rural transformation in Telangana requires empowerment strategies that move beyond participation and credit access toward substantive control over productive resources, land, and decision-making. It concludes with policy recommendations for strengthening the empowerment-sustainability linkage in the state's rural development framework.
Keywords	women's empowerment; sustainable rural transformation; Telangana; self-help groups; Panchayati Raj institutions; gender and development
Published In	Volume 1, Issue 3, November-December 2019
Published On	2019-11-08

View / Download PDF File

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

From Margins to Mainstream: Women's Empowerment and Sustainable Rural Transformation in Telangana

Share this