Mothers in India as an individual, we owe a lot to her, but in reality she was daughter of somebody, then became a wife of somebody and finally the mother of somebody.
Once a woman was standing in front of me in an election booth. People asked her name, she did not tell her name but said, ?I am Kalu'smother and Rambir'swife. This is really the plight of a mother in today'sIndia.?
In a far-reaching decision, the Delhi Cabinet has made it mandatory to include mother'sname in all certificates, application forms and documents issued by the state government. Henceforth, voter'sidentity cards, driving licences, ration cards, school, birth and death certificates, cutting across all sectors and departments would also include the mother'sname.
This, indeed, is a big step towards women'sempowerment. Moreover, the particulars of both mother and father in the documents would help in establishing the identity of the person concerned in a more specific manner.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, in turn, has also asked the State governments to include the names of both parents on all official documents, thereby acknowledging that both parents are equally important in officially defining an individual'sidentity.
The resonance of this change would reach far and deep. Till now, the insistence only on the father'sidentity underscored the role of the mother and her presence in an individual'slife.
However, in recent changes, the mother'sname as a guardian is sufficient to open a bank account or seek admission in a school. Along with laws reiterating the woman'sright to property and to the disposal of her inheritance, the stature of woman has enhanced considerably in the present social structure.
However, law alone cannot change the status of women in the Indian society, unless accompanied by political will and simultaneous change in the patriarchal mind-set, yet it can provide the tools which will encourage and help hasten change.
The Constitution provides for equal rights and equal protection for women, prohibits discrimination against any citizen on grounds of sex and empowers the state to take affirmative discrimination in favour of women.
The Delhi Government has taken an affirmative action in the right direction and we hope others will follow suit.
