Eminent social and political activist and winner of the Right Livelihood Award Ruth Manorama said that the women continued to be subjugated and denied of their equal rights in India.

Delivering the keynote address on ‘Gender Equality and Development Agenda’ at a seminar organised by the Department of Social Work of Central University of Karnataka on the occasion of ‘World Social Work Day 2015’ in the main campus of the university at Kadaganchi village in Aland taluk in Kalaburagi district, Dr. Manorama said that gender equality does not mean a mere extension of equal rights to both men and women but eradicating patriarchy from society.

She said that patriarchy continues to be the bane of society in the country and this continues to be the main reason for unabated female infanticide, bride burning cases and harassment for dowry.

“The discrimination of the women in the name of case, class and gender cannot help in building a healthy society,” she said.

Dr. Manorama said that the welfare programmes launched by the government both at the Centre and State for the empowerment of women continue to be a mirage for majority of the women in society. Benefits of most of these schemes continued to be denied to the women by the vested interests.

Criticising the State government for low allocation of funds for women-centric welfare schemes, she said in the 2015-16 budget proposals, only 3 per cent of the total budget had been earmarked for the women centric welfare schemes.