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The Centre
for Women’s Development Studies(CWDS)
was established on 19th April 1980, in the middle of
the International Women’s Decade, by a group of m en
and women, who were involved in the preparation of
the first ever comprehensive government report on
the ‘Status of Women in India’ entitled‘Towards
Equality’ (Report
of the Committee on the Status of Women in India, (CSWI),
Government of India) and who were later associated
with the Women’s Studies Programme of the Indian
Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). The
Advisory Committee on Women's Studies of the ICSSR
recommended the need for an autonomous institute to
build on the knowledge already generated, but with a
wider mandate and resources to expand its activities
in research and action. The recommendation was
accepted by the ICSSR, and communicated to the
Women’s Bureau of the Ministry of Social Welfare,
Government of India.
A few months later, under the leadership of late
Prof. J.P. Naik, the CWDS was registered under the
Societies’ Registration Act, 1860 in New Delhi and
started functioning since May 1980, with a small
financial grant from the Vikram Sarabhai Foundation,
under the Chairpersonship of Dr. Phulrenu Guha and
Dr. Vina Mazumdar as the Director.
In 1984-85, on the recommendation of a visiting
committee appointed by the Indian Council of Social
Science Research, CWDS began to receive an annual
maintenance grant from the ICSSR and became
recognised as one of the Research Institutes
supported by ICSSR. |
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