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Empowerment of Women is of utmost vitality for the enhanced socio-economic development of any community. Active participation of women is crucial for any society to virtually and in actuality move forward. In a social set up like India’s, female participation has to be ensured through perceptible measures taken at various levels which positively impact the society in an optically measurable way. Empowerment of the tribal population has been a major concern for the past three decades. A steady increase in the awareness of the need to empower women via actions aiming to increase social, economic and political justice; and basically, an inclusive broader access to fundamental human rights and education has been lately witnessed. It has been observed that if a woman is economically or financially independent, she can take her own decisions and actively participate in the community. This development can lead the primitive societies living in remote rural areas to educate their children and exist with an overall higher quality of living. Present study is based on published articles and reports. The study used bibliography search (EndNote programme) of tribal women empowerment. It was found that with the help of governmental and non-governmental agencies, women are developing skills pertaining to farm forestry, papad making, sewing, sanitary pad making amongst many other. The paper exhibits that women of under-represented communities are successful in empowering themselves by making use of skill development training. It reviews vocational and skill- based training among the women of several tribal villages in India.

This paper discusses the empowerment of tribal women in India through skill development as skills development and training are central to agricultural and rural employment especially the tribal’s. The better the training and the more refined the skills in terms of human capital, higher the income and returns primarily toward the better rural life and socio-economic structure. This goes without saying that India has the second largest tribal population in the world and its women remain to be under-represented in proper business training programs. These issues limit their employment options, economic returns and long-term career development. Hence, more disadvantaged, poorer and discriminated the women in any society. The fact is despite being unskilled, poor, discriminated; women still try to contribute to family income either directly or indirectly. Poor and vulnerable women are usually more interested in skills training that meets their immediate “practical gender needs” as opposed to longer term, “strategic gender needs” that directly tackle the basic underlying causes of female subordination (Moser:1989).

Women are often focused in handicrafts, basic food processing and sale which are traditionally considered to be women’s domain. Women also show a tendency to pursue micro-enterprises and homestead farming activities (The World Bank, FAO, IFAD, 2008). Skills training, increased growth, productivity and innovation, in particular for the informal sector are linked with poverty reeducation. (Fluitman:2002). Skills development improves output, quality, diversity and occupational safety and improves health, thereby increasing incomes and livelihoods of the poor. It also helps to develop social CapitaLand strengthens knowledge about informal sector associations, rural organizations and governance. According to human capital theory, thebetter educated the agricultural labor, the higher their productivity (Atchoarena, et. al. 2003).

Skills Training

Skill training is defined as a concept that helps to create possibility and chances for the humans by developing their capacity and enhancing their skills and experience. The emphasis of skill training is to provide proper training that will support and guide the women in their chosen field. The purpose of skill training is to enable the women to find employment in their newly chosen field. Skill training is typically offered to uneducated or low-income families to increase their economic condition. Tribal Welfare Association has been giving much importance to equip tribal youth and women with alternative skills to supplement and augment their income and employment and to fulfil the community needs with locally available raw materials and human resources towards optimum use. Some of the important skill training programmes in equipping tribal youth and women are: Tailoring, embroidery, sanitary pads, cooking snacks, painting potteries, etc Women training programmes on eco-environmental issues, socio-economic and cultural aspects have found its effect in women taking up issues affecting them, through collective action.

The Skill Development Initiative by the NGOs

Skill development initiative includes various types of training programs, involving both conventional and non-conventional subjects, varying in time and cost. These training programs are implemented through NGOs and institutions having expertise in their respective fields. With a view to understanding Training for aged tribal’s especially women is emphasized in order to help them lead an independent and respectable life. As in any other case, tribal or not, aged women feel dejected and hence care is given to them and are given appropriate medical aid, diet etc.

Tribal Welfare Association

TWA has been giving much importance to equip tribal youth and women with alternative skills to supplement and augment their income and employment and to fulfill the community needs with locally available raw materials and human resources towards optimum use. Some of the important skill training programs in equipping tribal youth and women are: Tailoring, embroidery, sanitary pads, cooking snacks, painting potteries, etc. Women training programs on eco-environmental issues, socio-economic and cultural aspects have found its effect in women taking up issues affecting them, through collective action. The importance of such issues and problems are - women asserting property rights, free choice of their would-be husbands, organizing women against violence on women etc. Women training programs have been effective to a great extent and now the women sangams activities are gaining momentum with steady improvements in small savings and loan schemes with support of TWA.

The farm forestry program

FFP helps in empowerment of women; they are benefited by the easy accessibility of employment during the dry season. Nurseries for supplying plantlets to farm forestry and desert development program are managed and run by villagers under the supervision of village institutions (both men’s and women’s) are allotted to poor women of the villages. Women have gained tremendously from this mini- enterprise in the form of economic as well as social gains. It helps build their confidence and instill the spirit of entrepreneurial capacity in them. A study by Sindhi (2012) shows- two women nursery raisers from a remote tribal village participated actively and earned a lot of appreciation at a workshop held in this connection at Ahmadabad. Their knowledge of the problems and prospects of nursery rising as a profitable venture for tribal women was quite a revelation to the experts present in the workshop. Its aim was that women should involve actively in each and every stage of the farm forestry program.

Skill Development Initiatives

There are many governmental agencies, and the corporate sector that are working for the upliftment of the tribal areas specially providing skill training to the women. The goal of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is to hold responsibility and encourage a positive impact through its activities. Many Banks like Bank of Baroda has taken incitive to empower the rural and tribal women by providing small loans to start their own work.

Anyhow many constitutional provisions and policies for the tribal population as whole, it is a hard reality that the tribal women are still casing in many aspects. In the least developmental process is the expansion of properties and capabilities of tribal women to control the influence which are accountable for affecting their lives. Skill development among rural and tribal women is the need of the time accordingly to make them confident, independent so they can be a part of decision making at home and outside. As it has been observed that in many tribes’ women’s are now engaged in small “Kuteer Udyog” like bamboo work, handicraft etc. and educating their children’s. There is a need on the part of the government and civil society to enable improvement in the quality of life of such weak sections of the Indian population.

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