Women's empowerment has emerged as a central objective of public policy in post-independence India, reflecting the country's commitment to achieving gender equality, inclusive development, and social justice. This paper presents a comprehensive and analytical examination of the evolution of public policies for women's empowerment, tracing their transformation from welfare-oriented interventions in the early decades after independence to development-focused strategies, empowerment-based initiatives, and the contemporary paradigm of rights-based and women-led development. It argues that the changing policy landscape reflects a gradual shift in the role of women—from passive beneficiaries of State welfare to active participants and leaders in the nation's socio-economic and political development. The study adopts a multidimensional analytical framework by integrating Amartya Sen's Capabilities Approach and Naila Kabeer's framework of resources, agency, and achievements to assess women's empowerment across three interrelated dimensions: political, economic, and social-health. This theoretical perspective enables a comprehensive evaluation of how public policies have influenced women's capabilities, access to opportunities, decision-making power, and overall well-being. The paper further examines the constitutional foundations of gender equality, major legislative reforms, institutional mechanisms, and flagship government programmes that have shaped the trajectory of women's empowerment in India. Drawing upon recent empirical evidence from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), Census reports, and other official policy evaluations, the study critically assesses the effectiveness of these policy interventions in improving women's educational attainment, labour force participation, health outcomes, financial inclusion, and political representation. While the findings demonstrate significant progress in expanding women's access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and local governance, the analysis also reveals enduring structural constraints that continue to limit substantive empowerment. Persistent implementation gaps, socio-cultural norms, patriarchal institutional practices, regional disparities, gender-based violence, and the Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) paradox illustrate the disconnect between progressive policy intentions and outcomes on the ground. The study also highlights localized manifestations of patriarchal control, such as the Sarpanch Pati phenomenon, which undermine women's effective participation in democratic institutions despite constitutional provisions for political representation. The paper concludes that although India has made substantial progress in establishing a robust policy and legal framework for women's empowerment, meaningful and sustainable empowerment requires moving beyond formal legislative commitments toward transformative institutional and societal change. Strengthening implementation mechanisms, enhancing accountability, addressing structural inequalities, and promoting women's agency in decision-making are essential for bridging the gap between policy design and grassroots realities. By offering an evolutionary and analytical perspective on public policy, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the achievements, limitations, and future directions of women's empowerment in India within the broader framework of inclusive and sustainable development.