Centre for Women's Studies & Development, Banaras Hindu University is one of the pioneering Centre of the country in the area of Women's Studies and since then it has been contributing significantly to evolve a gender friendly society. Due to its excellent performance, the UGC Visiting Committee declared the Centre as one of the resource or Nodal Centres in 1997, which is the highest recognition of excellence accorded to any Women's Studies Centre. The Centre has by now completed 32 projects. Some projects have been funded by different bodies like: Ministry of Women and Child Development, NIPCID, SIFPSA, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, Govt. of India. Out of these one was a major "Indo-Dutch Project on Rural Sanitation and Health Education in U.P." covering 27 villages and nine thousand families. The Centre regularly organizes seminars, conferences, workshops & lecture series. It has by now organized 50 National Seminars/Workshops/ Colloquiums and 57 Special Lectures/Group-Discussions.

It has by now organized 14 UGC Refresher Courses, each of three weeks duration and thus has educated more than 550 teachers in women's studies. In addition to this, the centre has organized 15 Orientation Courses for Research Scholars, NGOs, administrators, social workers. It is a matter of great pride that it has by now trained more 421 Research Students in women's studies.

The centre has established a rich networking with other Women's Studies Centres and NGOs and Institutes of higher learning in order to bring more and more women in higher administration of the university. The Centre also has a rich history of outreach activities. It has adopted Amra Village, Varanasi. The Centre is running 'Sewing Training Centre' and 'Adult Education Centre' at Amara Village for the economic and educational empowerment of rural distressed women. The Centre holds regular meetings with elected Gram-Panchayat/Gram Pradhan of Varanasi district. Gender sensitization workshops, legal, literacy awareness programmes, health education and health check-up camps are organized in rural areas.

The centre has made remarkable progress in generating material on gender sensitization. It has by now prepared a Prashna Pustika in Hindi, 32 Project Reports, about 60 proceedings of different Orientation Courses, Refresher Courses and National Seminars. The Centre brings out a newsletter Nari Darpan regularly. 16 dossiers and 8 books have been published. The Centre has started its Journal "Journal of Gender & Justice" in 2012.

The Centre's efforts for clustering at different levels have created an example for other departments. It has by now clustered at three levels: (1) With other sister departments of BHU (2) With different Higher Institutions and NGOs.

The centre is rich in its infrastructural facilities. It has a well-equipped library having more than 3000 book. It serves as Library cum Seminar Hall with internet facility