Women’s empowerment is the advancement of women and their acceptance and inclusion in decision-making processes. It also entails giving women equal opportunity for improvement and progress in the community and rejecting gender prejudice.
The welfare of women and children is included in Article 15(3), which encourages the state to create special provisions for Women and children to have an important role in Indian society. Furthermore, these are India’s most susceptible regions. This post details a summary of women empowerment programs in India, as stated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme
Launched in the year 2015, the objective of the scheme includes the following objective:
- To avoid gender-biased sex preferential removal
- To guarantee the survival and safety of the girl child
- Ensuring the girl child’s education and development
One-Stop Centre Scheme
Started in the year 2015, this scheme has the following objective:
- To offer assistance and guidance to women who have been victims of abuse in both domestic and communal settings.
- To support in the submission of a First Information Report (FIR/NCR).
- To assist women and girls with psychosocial help and counseling.
Women Helpline Scheme
Launched in 2016, Women Helpline Scheme has the following objectives:
- To provide toll-free 24-hour telephone help to women who have experienced violence.
- To support crisis and non-crisis interventions by referring individuals to relevant authorities such as police/hospitals/ambulance services/District Legal Service Authority (DLSA)/Protection Officer (PO)/OSC.
- To tell the woman impacted by abuse about the necessary support services, government schemes, and programs accessible to her in her specific circumstances inside the particular region in which she lives or works.
UJJAWALA
The scheme was started in 2016 and has the following objectives:
- To prohibit the commercialized sexual exploitation of women and children.
- To make it easier to remove victims from places of exploitation and place them in safe custody.
- To give urgent and long-term rehabilitation programs to survivors by offering valuable amenities/needs such as housing, food, clothes, medical care including counseling, legal guidance and assistance, and vocational education.
Working Women Hostel
One of the oldest schemes which started in 1972-73 has the following objectives:
- To increase the accessibility of secure and accessible housing for working women.
- To furnish housing for the children of working mothers, up to the age of 18 for girls and 5 years for boys.
SWADHAR Greh
This 2018 scheme has the following objectives:
- To meet the fundamental needs of women in crisis for housing, food, clothes, hospital attention, and support.
- To give legal assistance and advice to women.
Support for Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)
Started in 1986-87 this scheme works on the following objectives:
- To empower women with employable skills.
- To help women aged 16 and up throughout the nation.
Nari Shakti Puraskar
This 2016 scheme has the following objectives:
- To improve women’s status in society.
- To enable institutions that aim to advance and educate women in society.
Mahila Shakti Kendras (MSK)
Launched in 2017 MSK runs on the following objectives:
- To provide women with access to medical care, proper education, advice, and employment, among other things.
- To make these possibilities available at the block and district levels throughout the nation.
NIRBHAYA
Launched after the Delhi rape incident in 2012, the objective of the scheme is as follows:
- At many tiers, to improve women’s safety and security.
- To maintain women’s identities and details under absolute confidentiality and anonymity.
- As far as feasible, provide provisions for real-time action.
Mahila E-Haat
Started in 2016, Mahila E-Haat works on the following objectives:
- To make internet entrepreneurial possibilities available to women.
- To train women on all elements of internet marketing and to assist them in establishing their business.
Mahila Police Volunteers
Launched in 2016, the objectives of this scheme are:
- In order to combat crime against women, an MPV will act as a public-police link.
- MPVs have a broad authority to record cases of abuse towards women such as domestic abuse or violence toward women in public areas.