26 Policies, Programmes & Schemes for Women

Malarvizhi. V

WOMEN INTRODUCTION

Women empowerment is very necessary to make the bright future of the family, society and country. Women need fresh and more capable environment so that they can take their own right decisions in every area whether for themselves, family, society or country. In order to make the country fully developed, women empowerment is an essential tool to get the goal of development. The Department of Women and Child Development in India sees all the issues related to the women and children. The Department came into existence as a separate Ministry with effect from 30th January, 2006, with the aim of “Empowered women living with dignity and contributing as equal partners in development in an environment free from violence and discrimination and well nurtured children with full opportunities for growth and development in a safe and protective environment”.

The Ministry of women and child development, as the nodal agency for all matters pertaining to welfare, development and empowerment of women, has evolved policies, schemes and programmes for their benefit. These schemes are spread across a broader spectrum such as women’s need for shelter, security, safety, legal aid, justice, information, maternal health, food, nutrition etc., as well as their need for economic sustenance through skill development, education and access to credit and marketing to improve their status equal to men.Now I will be concentrating on policies, programmes and schemes intended for the development and empowerment of women.

NATIONAL POLICY FOR WOMEN, 2016

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi released the draft National Policy for Women on May 17, 2016 for stakeholder comments and consultations. The policy envisions a society in which, women attain their full potential and are able to participate as equal partners in all spheres of life. It also emphasises the role of an effective framework to enable the process of developing policies, programmes and practices which will ensure equal rights and opportunities for women.The broad objective of the policy is to create a conducive socio-cultural, economic and political environment to enable women enjoy de jure and de facto Fundamental Rights and realize their full potential.

MAHILA E-HAAT

The Ministry of Women & Child Development launched “Mahila E-Haat” a bilingual portal on 7th March, 2016. This is a unique direct online marketing platform leveraging technology for supporting women entrepreneurs/SHGs/NGOs for showcasing the products/services which are made/manufactured/ undertaken by them. This was done keeping in mind that technology is a critical component for business efficiency and to make it available to the majority of Indian women entrepreneurs/SHGs/NGOs. This exclusive portal is the first in the country to provide a special, focused marketing platform for women.

MAHILA SAMRIDDHI YOJANA

The scheme is to be implemented through SCAs in rural and urban areas by way of financing the women beneficiaries either directly or through Self-Help-Groups (SHGs). To provide Micro Finance to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) belonging to the target group i.e Women belonging to the Backward Classes as notified by Central / State Govt. from time to time and living below double the poverty line (i.e. annual family income of the beneficiary should be less than Rs.1,20,000/- p.a. in urban areas and Rs.98, 000/- p.a. in rural areas.

JANANI SHISHU SURAKSHA KARYAKRAM (JSSK)

The initiative entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs and consumables, free diet up to 3 days during normal delivery and up to 7 days for C-section, free diagnostics and free blood wherever required. This initiative also provides for free transport from home to institution, between facilities in case of a referral and drop back home. Similar entitlements have been put in place for all sick newborns accessing public health institutions for treatment till 30 days after birth. This has now been expanded to cover sick infants. The scheme aims to eliminate out of pocket expenses incurred by the pregnant women and sick new borns while accessing services at Government health facilities.

BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO (BBBP)

It was launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 22ndJanuary, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana. It addresses the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development. The Overall Goal of the Scheme is to celebrate the Girl Child and enable her Education.

NAND-GHAR YOJANA

The Centre on 24th June, 2015 launched the country’s first modernized Anganwadi Centre at Hasanpur village in Sonepat, which will be replicated at 4,000 other places and is likely to change the face of government’s 40-year-old children and women-oriented scheme. The Sonepat facility, built in partnership with private mining firm Vedanta at a cost of Rs. 12 lakh, is part of Central government’s Nand-Ghar Yojana that aims at transforming the Anganwadi Centers, which accommodate around 50 children in day time every day, by making them equipped with latest facilities. The aim is to make Anganwadis as a community center for children and mothers, to provide solar-power system to make them stand-alone and television for teaching purpose and to provide supplementary nutrition to children in the age group of 0-6 years and to pregnant/lactating mothers with main objective to fight the problem of malnutrition.

NAI ROSHNI

Ministry of Women and Child Development started Nai Roshni, a Leadership Development Programme for Minority Women in 2012-13. The Programme is run with the help of NGOs, Civil Societies and Government Institutions all over the country. It includes various training modules like Leadership of women, Educational Programmes, Health and Hygiene, Swachch Bharat, Financial Literacy, Life Skills, Legal Rights of Women, Digital Literacy and Advocacy for Social and behavioural change.

RAJIV GANDHI SCHEME FOR EMPOWERMENT OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS (RGSEAG) – ‘SABLA’

The Sabla Scheme was launched in the year 2011. It aims at covering all out-of-school Adolescent Girls in the age group of 11 to 18 years who would assemble at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) on a fixed day at regular interval. The others, i.e., school-going girls, meet at the Anganwadi Centre at least twice a month and more frequently (once a week) during vacations/holidays. Here they receive life skills education, nutrition and health education, awareness about socio-legal issues, etc. This Scheme mainly aims at reducing the dropout rate of Adolescent Girls by increasing their literacy rate and work participation.

The Scheme has two major components namely nutrition and non-nutrition component. Nutrition is being given in the form of Take Home Ration or Hot Cooked Meal for 11 to14 years out of school girls and 14 to18 years to all adolescent girls, out of school and in school girls. In the Non Nutrition component, the out of school Adolescent Girls 11 to18 years are being provided IFA supplementation, Health check-up and Referral services, Nutrition and Health Education, Counselling and guidance on family welfare, Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health, child care practices and Life Skill Education and accessing public services and 16 to 18 year old adolescent girls are also being given vocational training, Anganwadi centre in the village is the focal point for the implementation of the scheme Sabla, where the school going girls and out of school girls would meet.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME IN MID-GANGETIC PLAINS (PRIYADARSHINI)

From the year 2011, the Ministry is administering IFAD assisted pilot project namely Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme in the Mid-Gangetic Plains (Priyadarshini) in 13 blocks spread over five districts in Uttar Pradesh and two districts in Bihar. The Programme aims at holistic empowerment (economic and social) of vulnerable groups of women and adolescent girls in the project area through formation of women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) and promotion of improved livelihood opportunities. Over one lakh households are to be covered under the project and 7,200 SHGs will be formed during the project period ending 2016–17. Though the focus of project is on livelihood enhancement, the beneficiaries will be empowered to address their political, legal and health problem issues through rigorous capacity building. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is the lead programme agency for the implementation through engagement of Resource NGOs and Field NGOs(FNGOs). The programme envisages giving training to the SHG members on topics such as income generation and allied activities, marketing of products and social issues, etc.

THE INDIRA GANDHI MATRITVA SAHYOG YOJANA (IGMSY)

It was introduced in the year 2010 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development for pregnant and lactating women, aiming to partly compensate them for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and also provide conditions for ensuring safe delivery and promote good nutrition and feeding practices for infants and young children. It also provides cash maternity benefit to the women. The pregnant women of 19 years of age and above are entitled to a cash incentive of Rs. 4000/- in three installments for first two live births.

KISHORI SHAKTI YOJANA (2001-2002)

Kishori Shakti Yojana under the ambit of ICDS aims at the empowerment and holistic development of adolescent girls by improving their self-perception and creating opportunities for realizing their full potential through Balika Mandals. The scheme primarily aims at breaking the intergenerational life cycle of nutritional & gender disadvantage and providing a supportive environment for self-development. The target group Adolescent Girls between 11-18 years – both school going and out of school girls. It covers in all the 21 districts of the State except in the districts where the SABLA scheme is implemented.

SWADHAR

This is a Central sector scheme for providing holistic and integrated services to women in difficult circumstances such as destitute widows, women prisoners released from jail and without family support, women survivors of natural disasters; trafficked women/girls rescued from brothels or other places or victims of sexual crime, mentally challenged women who are without any support etc. The package of services made available include provision for food, clothing, shelter, health care, counselling and legal support, social and economic rehabilitation through education, awareness generation , skill upgradation. The scheme is implemented in the year 2001-2002 through voluntary organisations including Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Boards, State Women’s Development Corporation, urban bodies etc., provided they have the required experience and expertise in the rehabilitation of such women.

RASHTRIYA MAHILA KOSH (RMK)

It was set up in 1993 under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, with an aim to fulfill credit needs of poor and women with no financial assistance specifically in the formal sector.The micro finance services under RMK is provided through a client friendly and hassle-free loaning mechanism for livelihood activities, housing needs, family needs etc., with a motive to uplift the economic status of poor women. It is also known as National Credit Fund for Women as it provides financial assistance to poor women to meet their needs.

FAMILY COUNSELLING CENTERS (FCCS)

The Family Counselling Centre programme was introduced in 1983 due to increasing violence against women specially dowry related cases. The centres provide counseling, referral and rehabilitative services to women and girls who are victims of atrocities, family maladjustments and social isolation. Through the centres, crisis intervention and trauma counselling is also provided in case of natural or manmade disasters. Public opinion on social issues affecting status of women is mobilised through this programme and awareness is created on welfare and development schemes being implemented by the Government. The Counselling Centres work in close collaboration with the local administration, police, courts, free legal aids cells, medical and psychiatric institutions, vocational training centers, short stay homes etc.

SWADHAR GREH

The scheme envisions a supportive institutional framework for women victims of difficult circumstances so that they could lead their life with dignity and conviction. It envisages that shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security are assured for such women. It also envisions that the special needs of these women are properly taken care of and under no circumstances they should be left unattended or abandoned which could lead to their exploitation and desolation.

SUPPORT TO TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN (STEP)

It was launched by the Government of India in 1969 in the Central Sector called the Short Stay Homes for Women & Girls to protect and rehabilitate those women and girls who are facing social and moral danger due to family problems mental strains, social isolation, exploitation or other causes. The services extended in these Homes include medical care, case work services, occupational therapy, education-cum-vocational training and recreational facilities. The Scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.

INDIRA MAHILA YOJANA (IMY)

Indira Mahila Yojana is another women development programme intiated by the Government, which was launched in August 1995 in more than 200 blocks of the country. The main objective of this programme is to give a forward thrust to the women education, awareness income-generation capacities and the empowerment of women. The platforms for the forward thrust are to be the self-help groups at the gross-root level.

Under this scheme women are to be constituted into Mahila Block Societies (MBS) at the Anganwadi level. At the grass-root level under every Anganwadi there should be women’s self-help groups. The Mahila Groups will be encouraged to take up some thrift activity also. The fund so collected over a period can be revolved amongst the members for financial support to the expansion of their income generation activities or also for starting of a new activity. The groups can also avail credit facilities from State and National level lending institutions like Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMk), Social board, etc. the government of India affords a group with financial support to a tune of Rs. 5,000/-.

ONE STOP CENTRES (OSC)

The One Stop Centres are intended to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace. The OSC will support all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, irrespective of caste, class, religion, region, sexual orientation or marital status. For girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 will be linked with the OSC.

CONCLUSION

To be conclude development has been considered to be the most effective way of solving the numerous problems come in the way of eradicating poverty, reducing imbalances and preventing discriminations among vast number of poor people living in rural areas, especially of rural poor women folk. In this process various policies, programmes and schemes are intended for empowerment of women have been implemented to uplift socio-economic status of rural poor women and paving a path for their empowerment. Thus the government has been making sincere efforts to empower women in socio-economic and politico-cultural aspects, so that a welfare state and a prosperous nation can be built. The government should take renewed interest in the execution of all these programmes and should ensure that the benefits reach the women at the lowest ebb. When women are empowered it leads to an overall and impressive growth of the whole economy.

Web links

• http://www.wcd.nic.in/schemes-listing/2405  shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/9845/16/16_chapter%206.pdf
• http://indiamicrofinance.com/government-schemes-women-india.html
• http://www.newincept.com/central-government-schemes-for-women-empowerment.html
• http://www.drishtiias.com/upsc-exam-gs-resources-Women-Welfare-SchemeLegislation-Policies
• https://edugeneral.org/blog/polity/welfare-programmes-for-indian-women/
• https://www.lawctopus.com/academike/schemes-strategies-for-women-empowerment-india/