Gender equality and the NDA paradox

In terms of women's empowerment, the Modi government has, on the whole, been active and practical

Now that the annual PR-driven excitement of Women’s Day is over, the impending Lok Sabha elections offer an opportunity to assess this regime’s record on gender equality. Key macro-data highlights a curious paradox of the Narendra Modi government. Despite having a better quality of gender-oriented policies than the predecessor United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the needle on gender equality has scarcely moved, and in some cases has reversed under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
 
In December 2018, the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index placed India at 108 out of 149 countries, the same as the year before. The more