(a) whether the Government is planning to adopt a multi-dimensional strategy towards the factors that impact the socio-economic development of women;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government is also planning to launch targeted Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) campaigns to create gender neutrality; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the table of House.
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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 178 FOR ANSWER ON 30.07.2021 ASKED BY SMT. NAVNEET RAVI RANA REGARDING ‘SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS’
(a) to (d) : The Government of India has already taken various steps to ensure empowerment of women through their social, educational, economical and political uplifting through various schematic interventions. While the schemes implemented by the Government like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban & Rural), the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Pradhan Mantri Vyay Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) and Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) are designed to enable women to become socially secure, the initiatives like Samagra Shiksha, Scheme of National Overseas Scholarship, Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojna, Swacch Vidyalaya Mission etc. ensure that schools are girl-friendly especially for vulnerable sections of society and have adequate facilities in place to fulfill their special requirements. 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 Vikash 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. There are schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Stand Up India, for helping the women to set up their own enterprises. 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 health of women by providing them with clean cooking fuel and also from drudgery of collecting firewood. Further, in order to encourage employment of women, a number of enabling provisions have been incorporated in the recently enacted three Labour Codes i.e. the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020 for creating congenial work environment for women workers. 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. For securing the future of the girl child, the government launched a savings scheme called ‘Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana’. The Government also rolled out the ‘One Stop Centre’ (OSC) Scheme to facilitate women affected by violence with a range of integrated services under one roof such as police facilitation, medical aid, providing legal aid and legal counselling, psycho-social counselling, temporary shelter etc. Further, the Women Helpline (WHL) Scheme provides 24 hours emergency and non-emergency response to women affected by violence, both in public and private spaces, by linking them with appropriate authorities such as Police, One Stop Centre, Hospital, Legal Services etc.
Further, the Government of India has decided to implement the Umbrella Scheme for Safety, Security and Empowerment of Women as an integrated women empowerment program under the name ‘Mission Shakti’, which includes some of the above-mentioned schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, National, State and District level Hubs for Empowerment of Women, One Stop Centres, Women Helpline, homes for destitute women, working women hostels etc., 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.
The Mission Shakti also envisages campaigns for social and behavioural change communication, advocacy, IEC and outreach programmes on mass scale to tackle deep-rooted patriarchal mind-sets and to bring about gender parity.
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