ABSTRACT
British occupation of India began in 1772, and the British crown assumed charge of administering the colony from the British East India Company in 1858. The socioeconomic goals of India as welfare state are embodied in Part IV of the constitution. Contrary to what was intended, the persistent gap between development theory and practice in India has accentuated the burden of poverty and underdevelopment for women as for the less privileged. Equal political participation as a woman's right in modern times was first articulated in India in 1917 by a delegation of distinguished Indian women led by Sarojini Naidu to the British Parliament. Like every culture, India has components of institutionalized violence against women and girls. The earliest legal initiatives on behalf of women's rights occurred in colonial India. There are formidable institutional and material hurdles in India in enabling women to play an equal role or have equal status vis-a-vis men.
