Vice-President emphasized on paying attention to pervasive subtle gender discrimination in society.

• Gender discrimination in overt forms (e.g. Lack of gender sensitive infrastructure) has ostensibly vanished but it has assumed subtle forms.
• Subtle gender discrimination manifests through attitudes and behaviors that seem supportive but reinforce traditional gender roles and perpetuate inequality.

Subtle forms of Gender Discrimination: 

• Reinforce Stereotyping: Positive comments that reinforce traditional gender roles and undermine women’s capabilities.
• Hiring, Promotion, and Evaluation: Unconscious bias towards male candidates for roles traditionally perceived as requiring physical strength or leadership.
• Microaggressions: For instance, implying that women are less committed to their careers due to family reasons.
• Work-Life Balance Assumptions: Assumptions about work-life balance needs might affect women more due to societal expectations around caregiving and family responsibilities.

Addressing Subtle Forms of Gender Discrimination 

• Blind evaluation: E.g. Hiding a job applicants’ physical attributes 
• Creating a Culture of Inclusivity: Promoting workplace that respects input from everyone regardless of gender.
• Assess unconscious gender bias at workplace: Through a variety of methods, including perceptions surveys, language analysis, analysis of gender gaps in pay and career advancement.
• Need to Change male mindset: Through wider gender sensitization

National Pension System Vatsalya (NPS Vatsalya) scheme, a pension scheme for minors, has been launched.

NPS Vatsalya Scheme

• Eligibility: All minor citizens (age below 18 years).
  • On attaining the age of majority, plan can be converted seamlessly into a normal NPS account. 
• Regulation and Administration: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
• Objective: Promoting long-term financial planning and security, inculcate habit of savings and dignified life in old age. 
• Subscriber Contribution: 
  • Minimum: Rs 1000/- per annum.
  • Maximum: No limit.
• PFRDA will provide multiple investment choices to subscribers such as government securities, corporate debt, equity etc. 

Ministry of Education (MoE) defined Literacy and Full Literacy under New India Literacy Programme (NILP).

To support adult education/literacy as emphasized in NEP 2020 and SDG 4.6 (ensuring all youth and adults achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030), it is essential to define both Literacy and Full Literacy.

• Literacy: Ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension, i.e. to identify, understand, interpret and create along with critical life skills like digital and financial literacy etc.
• Full Literacy (to be considered equivalent to 100% literacy): Achieving 95% literacy in a State/UT that may be considered as equivalent to fully literate. 

About New India Literacy Programme (NILP)

• Also known as ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society).
• Launched by MoE, it is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Tenure: FYs 2022-27 (5 years).
• Objective: 
  • Targets all non-literates of age 15 years and above, with more focus on females and educationally backward states.
  • Target 5 crore learners (1.00 crore per year) by using “Online Teaching, Learning and Assessment System (OTLAS)” in collaboration with National Informatics Centre, NCERT and NIOS.
• Implemented through volunteer teachers, students of schools and Higher Education Institutions and Teacher Education Institution.
• It is in alignment with recommendations of NEP 2020.
• Need: Absolute number of non-literates in 15 years and above age group is 25.76 crore (Census 2011).