In recent months, federal and state governments as well as religious groups have been expressing keen interest in women's welfare. For example, this year's national budget, which the federal finance minister presented in parliament on Feb. 29, lists several schemes and concessions to help women's education and self-reliance. In the new fiscal year starting April 1, the government is to spend millions of dollars to set up schools and hostels for girls in villages. It plans to raise the salaries of some 1.8 million women teaching in rural kindergartens and has asked insurance firms to cover about 300 million women in self-help groups across the country. The minister further eased women's burden by hiking the minimum level of taxable income. Not to lag behind, several states brought out similar schemes. On March 27, the Delhi government announced its "Mamta (affection) Friendly Hospital" scheme to provide comprehensive health facilities to mothers and children. Earlier, Uttaranchal and Rajasthan states in northern India reserved 50 percent of seats in administrative bodies for women. Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state, plans to establish all-women police stations in all districts to check crimes against women and to set up a mahila nidhi, a "separate fund for women," to provide financial help to women and girl children. All this came after the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) decided at its biennial plenary in February to implement some progressive steps to empower women in the Church and society. The bishops agreed to reserve 35 percent of seats for women in Church bodies and promised to combat feticide, infanticide and other social evils that threaten women's existence. For Sikhism's top religious body, protecting women and girl children is a key concern. It has proposed several steps to stem the lopsided proportion of men over women in Punjab, where it is based, and other northern India states. Is such increased interest in women sincere? Do women in India now enjoy the best of times? One may believe it is so, but the reality is different. Political compulsion rather than real concern for women has apparently prompted the announcements of such government schemes. Several states will have elections later this year, starting in May. Political parties have already begun preparing for polling scheduled in 2009 to elect the federal parliament. They know they can no longer ignore women who account for nearly half the voters. Unlike the past, women will not vote as their husbands dictate. Encouraged by self-help groups that have mushroomed in Indian villages, women are asserting their political rights. If political parties were really sincere, they long ago would have passed a bill reserving 33 percent of seats in parliament and state assemblies. Since this was introduced in 1998, it has been discussed whenever parliament convened. The bishops made headlines by deciding to reserve seats for women, as part of a 13-point program to empower women to combat social evils against women. Still, the Church's pro-women moves need a bit more sincerity. The bishops made history by inviting some 40 women to their plenary, which was greatly expected to map a gender policy to guide the Church on women's issues. After two days of deliberations, however, the prelates delegated this task to India's three ritual Churches -- Latin, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara. One peeved prelate told women no other religious group has done as much for them as the Catholic Church. In the end, one got the impression Church officials would help improve women's status in society, not within the Church.

Such a stand stems from a lack of conviction that women in India need urgent help. Neither the government at various levels nor religious groups can keep ignoring women's cries for help. Nearly half of India's 495.7 million women remain illiterate and ignorant of their rights, even after a woman once led the country as president during its more than 60 years of independence.

Indian women experience discrimination even before birth. Fewer girls are born now and those already born barely get the nutrients they need to grow. A recent study says half the women who died in Rajasthan villages were under 20.

Official records indicate that some 6,000 women are killed every year for having an insufficient dowry. Unofficially, dowry disputes kill or maim four times as many brides. Newspapers regularly report on dalit (former "untouchable") and low-caste women forced to walk nude in the streets for minor offenses.

Women plow fields and harvest crops, weave and make handicrafts, sell food and gather wood while attending to household chores, yet statistics seldom record their work.

All this happens even after the Indian Constitution promulgated in 1950 gave women basic rights that their sisters in the West had to struggle for more than a century to secure.

Even so, change is underway. Such a signal came on March 14, when some 5,000 women in Bangalore pledged to combat forces that try to stifle them. Bangalore archdiocese took the initiative to gather the women. More dioceses hopefully will follow the example. India needs such sincere efforts.

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Jose Kavi has led UCA News operations in India since 1988.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)