Poll manifestos of several parties—most notably the Congress and Kamal Haasan’s MNM—have promised an unconventional but populist scheme of doling out an allowance, or salary, to homemakers. Questions spring up from this: Should homemakers be paid for their household work and is there a better alternative to make them financially independent. Supreme Court advocate and AIDWA vice president Kirti Singh, former international athlete Ashwini Nachappa, equal rights campaigner Barkha Trehan, and women’s rights activist and Centre for Social Research director Dr Ranjana Kumari weigh in on the topic.
Kirti Singh: What the parties have proposed are welfare measures and they are welcome, but ultimately these are a form of dole for housewives and widows. Unless these are linked with an assessment of what an individual is entitled to—a fair and just entitlement—these wouldn’t be of much help. Also, we have to know the scope of the scheme: how many...
