PROGRESS OF ASSAM TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 5 (SDG 5)

The present paper is an attempt to examine Assam’s slow advancement in attaining SDG-5 i.e. Gender Equality. Assam recorded lowest index value of 25 as against 60 for India in the year 2021. For analysis, this study tries to incorporate six indicators of SDG-5 which are integral part of assessing performance ensuring gender equality in the society. They include number and type of crime against women, sex ratio at birth, ratio of female to male in Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) (15-59 years), ratio of female to male in average wage/ salary earnings received among regular wage/ salaried employees, number of elected women candidates in state assembly and percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 years who have their demand for modern methods of family planning satisfied. Based on data availability, the study tries to cover district level progress for Assam. The study concludes that the proportion of cruelty by husband is almost 45 percent in the total crimes committed against women in Assam. Even then, district level picture of sex ratio at birth suggests positive advancement towards SDG 5. Women representation in the political spectrum is very low. Female workforce participation rate is more in urban areas than the rural areas of Assam. So, there is a need to revamp the policies to provide cerebral job opportunities to the women of Assam.