DR.ILA BISHT is a scholar, social scientist and academician. She has Masters in Social Work and Sociology and is a NET qualified. On her work in the field of Sociology, she has been awarded Doctorate. Prior to her present assignment, she has been guest faculty in Department of Sociology in a government post-graduate college. She also has experience of teaching MSW students in DSB College of Kumaon University, Nainital. As a social scientist, she has worked for long with rural communities, particularly with women in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Her work experience includes about four years devoted to the health sector in Uttarakhand when she served as Psychiatric Social Worker with Govt. Doon Medical College. She has keen interest and sensitivity towards working for the empowerment of women; rural women in particular. She has seven research papers on important social issues to her credit, published in reputed journals.This book presents an in-depth study on women-health related issues and impact of different government programmes based on her field studies. As pioneering work, the Health Empowerment Index (HEI) for rural women has also been suggested and calculated for the study area. The author is presently working as Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Govt. Degree College,
Bhikiyasain (Almora) in Uttarakhand.