Exploring the status of Ambedkar’s ‘New India’

Ambedkar was one of the pioneer reformists for women and had a vision of ‘New India’. He articulated the women’s rights to education, marriage, and health through the constitutional provisions. This study aims to revisit the notions of Babasaheb Ambedkar on women’s empowerment focusing on education, child marriage, and health; and also, to examine the current status of women in present India concerning aforesaid aspects. For portraying the status of women, recent data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS) were analyzed. The results of the analysis reveal that despite the improvement in the status of women, there is still prevailing a significant share in child marriage, fertility rate, early pregnancy, spousal violence, and violence during pregnancy also which influences directly their health condition. The study evidently indicates a reminder for every individual in general and policy-makers in particular to reinforce the vision of Ambedkar for women. More importantly, the alarming health condition of rural women must be improved by increasing public healthcare facilities and awareness of health education for the sake of Sustainable Development.