New Delhi: The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing various schemes/programmes for achieving gender equality and emancipation of women including rural women such as:
- BetiBachaoBetiPadhao (BBBP): to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of women 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. .
- Pradhan MantriMatruVandanaYojana (PMMVY), (erstwhile Maternity Benefit Programme) to contribute towards better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and nursing mothers.
- Scheme for Adolescent Girls aims at girls in the age group 11-14, to empower and improve their social status through nutrition, life skills, home skills and vocational training.
- National Nutrition Mission (NNM): aims to attain a “Suposhit Bharat” and has also the objective of improving the nutritional status of pregnant women and lactating mothers and reducing anaemia among women along with children.
- RastriyaMahilaKosh (RMK), for extending micro-finance services to bring about socio-economic upliftment of poor women,
- Mahila e-Haat, a unique direct online digital marketing platform for women entrepreneurs/ SHGs/ NGOs,
- Pradhan MantriMahila Shakti Kendra, which will empower rural women through community participation to create an environment in which they realize their full potential,
- The Ministry also conducts Training of Trainers of Elected Women Representatives of Panchayati Raj to deliberate upon issues related to empowerment of women and functioning of PRIs; describe processes of participatory planning in local governance; and enable women to identify their own leadership potential to contribute effectively as change agents.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing various schemes/programmes for combating all forms of discrimination and violence against women in the country including rural women such as:
- One Stop Centres (OSCs): for facilitating access to an integrated range of services including police, medical, legal, psychological support and temporary shelter to women affected by violence.
- Women Helpline: to provide women with a 24×7 service, Women Helplines with the uniform code 181 have been set up across the country. These Helplines provide 24 hour emergency response to women affected by violence, and also provide counselling through phone and awareness about government schemes.
- Mahila Police Volunteers: The Ministry, in collaboration with MHA has recently started the engagement of Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) in States/UTs. These MPVs will act as a link between police and community and facilitate women in distress.
- SwadharGreh: this scheme caters to primary needs of women in difficult circumstances.
- Ujjawala: a comprehensive scheme to prevent trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation, to facilitate rescue victims and placing them in safe custody, to provide rehabilitation services by providing basic amenities/needs, to facilitate reintegration of victims into the family and society, to facilitate repatriation of cross border victims.
This information was given by Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
