(a) the details of the schemes being run by the Government for gender equality/socio-economic development and empowerment of women in rural and tribal areas of the country;
(b) whether the desired results under the said schemes have been achieved and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to launch any new scheme for the development and empowerment of women in the country; and
(d) if so, the steps being taken by the Government in this direction?
(a) & (b) : The schemes and programmes implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development for empowerment of women in the country including for women in rural and tribal areas are as under:
1. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme
3. One Stop Centre (OSC)
4. Universalisation of Women Helpline
5. Swadhar Greh Scheme
6. Ujjawala Scheme
7. Working Women Hostel
8. Gender Budget, Research & Publication
The outcome of above schemes are (i) assistance to over 2.6 crore pregnant women and lactating mothers, (ii) improvement in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) from 918 to 937 and increased enrollment of girls in primary and secondary education which is almost at par with boys, (iii) operationalisation of 704 OSCs out of 733 approved assisting 4.9 lakh women, (iv) operationalisation of WHL in 34 States / UTs that have handled over 68 lakh calls, (v) functionalisation of 107 Ujjawala homes having assisted 6175 number of inmates, (vi) functionalisation of 367 Swadhar Greh having assisted 17291 number of inmates, (vii) assistance to 450 Working Women Hostels having assisted 74666 working women and 11018 children in day care centre, and (viii) implementation of gender budgeting in 41 Ministries / Departments and reported allocation of Rs. 1.71 lakh crore etc.
In addition to above, the Government of India has taken various steps to ensure empowerment of women through their social, educational, economic and political uplifting through various schematic interventions. While the schemes implemented by the Government like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban & Rural), the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) ensure that the women are socially sound, the initiatives like Samagra Shiksha, Scheme of National Overseas Scholarship, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojna, Swacch Vidyalaya Mission, etc. promote girl''s education especially for vulnerable sections of society and have adequate facilities in place to fulfill their special requirements.
Further, the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 prioritises gender equity and envisions ensuring equitable access to quality education to all students, with a special emphasis on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs).
In order to enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training Institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. To ensure economic independence of women through skill development and vocational training, the Government has also introduced Skill India Mission. The National Skill Development Policy focuses on inclusive skill development, with the objective of increased women participation for better economic productivity. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendras lay emphasis on creating additional infrastructure both for training and apprenticeship for women; flexible training delivery mechanisms, flexible afternoon batches on local need-based training to accommodate women; and ensuring safe and gender sensitive training environment, employment of women trainers, equity in remuneration, and complaint redressal mechanism. There are schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Stand Up India, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), for helping the women to set up their own enterprise. Under the Swacch Vidyalaya Mission, it was ensured that all schools have at least one functional toilet for girls. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) aims to safeguard the health of women by providing them with clean cooking fuel and also from drudgery of collecting firewood. The outcome in respect of these schemes are maintained by the respective Ministries/ Departments.
Further, in order to encourage employment of women, a number of enabling provisions have been incorporated in the recently enacted Labour Codes viz. the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020 for creating congenial work environment for women workers. Stand Up India scheme promotes entrepreneurship amongst women. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) mandates that at least one third of the jobs generated under the scheme (MGNREGS) should be given to women.
(c) & (d) : The Government of India has also decided to implement the Umbrella Scheme for Safety, Security and Empowerment of Women as an integrated women empowerment program under the name ‘Mission Shakti’, for addressing the issues of women on a life-cycle continuum basis and for making them equal partners in nation-building through convergence at different levels of governance and a participative approach.
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