Government Schemes and Programs

Ministry of Women & Child Development

Ministry of Women & Child Development

About Ministry

  • The Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India, came into existence as a separate Ministry with effect from 30th January, 2006, earlier since 1985 it was a Department under the Ministry of Human Resources Development.
  • The Ministry was constituted with the prime intention of addressing gaps in State action for women and children for promoting inter-Ministerial and inter-sectoral convergence to create gender equitable and child-centred legislation, policies and programmes.
  • As a nodal Ministry for the advancement of women and children, the Ministry formulates plans, policies and programmes; enacts/ amends legislation, guides and coordinates the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the field of Women and Child Development. Besides, playing its nodal role, the Ministry implements certain innovative programmes for women and children. These programmes cover welfare and support services, training for employment and income generation, awareness generation and gender sensitization. These programmes play a supplementary and complementary role to the other general developmental programmes in the sectors of health, education, rural development etc. All these efforts are directed to ensure that women are empowered both economically and socially and thus become equal partners in national development along with men.

Vision

    • Empowered women living with dignity and contributing as equal partners in development in an environment free from violence and discrimination. And, wellnurtured children with full opportunities for growth and development in a safe and protective environment.

Mission

    • Promoting social and economic empowerment of women through cross-cuting policies and programmes, mainstreaming gender concerns, creating awareness about their rights and facilitating institutional and legislative support for enabling them realize their human rights and develop to their full potential.
    • Ensuring development, care and protection of children through cross-cutting policies and programmes,spreading awareness about their rights and facilitating access to learning,nutrition,institutional and legislative support for enabling them to grow and develop to their full potential.

Ministry of Women & Child Development Schemes, INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, UJJAWALA, NIRBHAYA, SWADHAR Greh, Women Helpline Scheme...

 

INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)

Objectives
    • To prevent and reduce young child under-nutrition (% underweight children 0-3 years) by 10 percentage points,
    • to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child
    • to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
    • to achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
    • to enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.
Salient Features
    • It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
    • Engaging anganwadi worker and helper from the same village
    • It is a universal and self-selecting scheme i.e. anyone can visit to the Aanganwadi centre and enroll these services.
    • Package of six services i.e.
      1. Supplementary nutrition programme
      2. Pre-school education
      3. Health and nutrition education,
      4. Immunization,
      5. Health check up and
      6. Referral services to the beneficiaries

Sub-Schemes under Umbrella ICDS

    • Anganwadi Services – It is for holistic development of children under the age of 6 year and pregnant and lactating women.
    • Child Protection Services – It aims to provide safe and secure environment for children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection and reduce vulnerabilities.
    • National Crèche Services –It aims to provide a safe place for children of working mothers while they are at work, thus, empowering them to take up employment.
    • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
    • Poshan Abhiyan
    • Scheme for Adolescent Girls

 

1. NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION (POSHAN ABHIYAAN)

      • Launched in 2018
      • The NNM has been established up as an apex body to monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition related interventions across the Ministries.
Objectives
      • National Nutrition Strategy laid down the roadmap to launch National Nutrition Mission.
      • It is a flagship programme which would be executed with the Ministry of Women and Child
      • Development (WCD) as the nodal ministry along with Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare which ensures convergence with various programmes.
Target
      • The mission has a target to reduce stunting, undernutrition, and low birth weight by 2 % per annum, and anaemia by 3 % annually.
      • It aims to focus mainly on children up to the age of 6 years, pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls.
      • It would also strive to achieve reduction in stunting from 38.4% (NFHS-4) to 25% by 2022 (Mission 25 by 2022).
      • It will be implemented in three phases: 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. 315 ‘high burden’ are to be covered in the first phase, 235 in next and the remaining in last.
Salient Features
      • NNM as an apex body will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition related interventions through the life cycle concept.
      • Mapping of various schemes contributing under malnutrition
      • ICT (Information and Communication Technology) based real time monitoring system.
      • Incentivizing states/UTs for meeting targets
      • Incentivizing Anganwadi Workers (AWW) for using IT based tools and eliminating the need for registers
      • Measurement of height of children at Anganwadi Centres
      • Social Audits to track the health progress of the children
      • Setting-up Nutrition Resource Centres
      • Involving masses through Jan Andolan for their participation on nutrition
      • The Government celebrated the month of September, 2018 as the National Nutrition Month (Rashtriya Poshan Maah).

 

2. SCHEME FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS (SAG)

      • Centrally Sponsored scheme, Launched in – 2010 (replacing Kishori Shakti Yojana).
Objectives
      • Enable the adolescent girls for self-development and empowerment
      • Improve their nutrition and health status.
      • Promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, adolescent reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) and family and child care.
      • To educate, skill and make them ready for life’s challenges.
Intended beneficiary
      • Out of school girls in the age group of 11-14 years.
Implementation Platform
      • The scheme will be implemented through existing Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
Salient Features
      • Nutrition provision
      • Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation
      • Health check-up and referral services
      • Nutrition & health education (NHE)
      • Counseling/guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child care practices and home management.
      • Upgrade home-based skills, life skills and integrate with the national skill development program (NSDP) for vocational skills.
      • Mainstream out of school adolescent girls into formal/non-formal education.
      • Provide information/guidance about existing public services such as PHC, CHC, post office, bank, police station, etc.
      • In January 2018, the Ministry has launched the Phase -1 i.e. the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls – a web based on line monitoring for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls.
      • SAG being implemented in 205 districts has been expanded in phased manner. The pattern of phased expansion is as under:-
        1. Phase-1: In 2017-18, the scheme was extended with revised financial norms to additional 303 high burden districts identified under NNM.
        2. Phase-2: In 2018-19, the scheme has been extended with revised financial norms to all the districts of the country w.e.f 01.04.2018.

 

3. PRADHAN MANTRI MATRU VANDANA YOJANA

      • Core Scheme – Centrally sponsored Scheme (60:40 – General, 90:10 – Special, 100 UT) Implemented w.e.f. 2017, using the platform of Anganwadi Services scheme.
      • In 2013, the scheme was brought under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to implement the provision of cash maternity benefit of~ 6,000 stated in the Act.
      • The remaining cash incentive is provided under Janani Suraksha Vojana (JSY) after institutional delivery so that on an average, a woman gets Rs. 6000/-.
Objectives 
    • Providing partial compensation for the wage loss in terms of cash incentives so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first living child.
    • The cash incentive provided would lead to improved health seeking behaviour amongst the Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW& LM).
Intended beneficiary
    • All Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM), excluding PW&LM who are in regular employment with the Central Government or the State Governments or PSUs or those who are in receipt of similar benefits under any law for the time being in force.
    • for first child in family.
Salient Features
    • Cash incentive of Rs 5000 in three instalments i.e.
      • 1st instalment of Rs 1000/ – on early registration of pregnancy,
      • 2nd instalment of Rs 2000/ – after six months of pregnancy and
      • 3rd instalment of Rs 2000/ – after child birth is registered and the child has received the first cycle of BCG, OPV, DPT and Hepatitis – B, or its equivalent/ substitute.
    • The eligible beneficiaries would receive the incentive given under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) for Institutional delivery and the incentive received under JSY would be accounted towards maternity benefits so that on an average a woman gets Rs 6000 / –
    • Universal screening of pregnant women for Anaemia and Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, Calcium supplementation in pregnancy, Deworming in pregnancy.

 

4. ANGANWADI SERVICES SCHEME

      • Launched in – 1975
      • Core Scheme Centrally sponsored Scheme (60:40- General, 90:10 – Special Category)
Target Beneficiaries
      • Children in the age group of 0-6 years
      • Pregnant women and lactating mothers
Objective
      • early childhood care and development (DPSP: Article 45)
      • Improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years
      • Proper psychological, physical and social development of the child
      • Reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout
      • Promote inter-ministerial/departmental coordination for Child Development
      • Enhance the capability of the mother to look after health and nutritional needs of child

Services

      • package of 6 services –
          1. Supplementary Nutrition
          2. Pre-school non-formal education (Children 3-6 Years)
          3. Nutrition & health education (Women 15-45 Years)
          4. Immunization
          5. Health check-up
          6. Referral services

 

5. NATIONAL CRECHE SCHEME

Target Beneficiaries
      • Children of 6 months to 6 years, of working women in rural and urban areas who are employed for a minimum period of 15 days in a month, or 6 months in a year.
Objective
      • To provide safe day-care facilities for children (6 months to 6 years) of working mothers
      • To improve nutrition and health status of children.
      • To promote physical, cognitive, social and emotional development (Holistic Development) of children
      • Nominal user charge applicable (Rs. 20- 200/month)

 

6. CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES

      • Launched in – 2009-10 as Centrally sponsored scheme
Objective
      • To provide safe and secure environment for children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection in urban and semi-urban areas, under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and any other vulnerable child.
      • Establish and strengthen services for emergency outreach, institutional care, family and community based care, counselling and support services.
      • It also establishes a Child Helpline (1098), a 24 hour free emergency phone outreach service for children in need of care and protection.

 

BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO (BBBP)

  • It is a tri-ministerial, convergent effort of
    1. Ministries of Women and Child Development (overall responsibility)
    2. Health & Family Welfare (implementation of PC&PNDT act)
    3. Human Resource Development (universal enrolment, retention & completion of secondary education)
Objectives
    • Prevent gender biased sex selective elimination.
    • Ensure survival & protection
    • Ensure education and participation of the girl child.
Implementation
    • Operated/implemented under the Centrally Sponsored Umbrella Scheme: Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women Implementation through District Collectors/District Magistrates.
Salient Features
    • Two components under the scheme include-
      1. Advocacy and Media Campaign on Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao
      2. Multi-Sectoral intervention in selected Gender Critical Districts worse on Child Sex Ratio (CSR)
    • A sustained social mobilization and communication campaign to create equal value for the girl child & promote her education.
    • Enable inter-sectoral and inter-institutional convergence at district/block/grass root levels.
    • It’s a Pan India Scheme, with 100% assistance from Central Government. No individual cash transfers or DBT
Monitorable targets include
    • Improve the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in selected gender critical districts by 2 points in a year.
    • Reduce Gender differentials in Under Five Child Mortality Rate from 7 points in 2014(latest available SRS report) to 1.5 points per year
    • At least 5 % increase per year of Institutional Deliveries.
    • Increase enrolment of girls in secondary education to 82% by 2018-19.
    • Provide functional toilet for girls in every school in selected districts.
    • Improve the Nutrition status of girls – by reducing number of underweight and anaemic girls under 5 years of age.
    • Ensure universalization of ICDS
    • Promote a protective environment for Girl Children through implementation of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.
    • Train Elected Representatives/ Grassroot functionaries as Community Champions to mobilize communities to improve CSR and promote Girl’s education.
    • Monitoring of the BBBP Scheme would be at following levels at National level, State level, District level, Block Level, and Gram Panchayat/Ward Level.
    • ‘Digital Guddi-Gudda Board’ is a platform for dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Material on BBBP and to update monthly birth statistics.
    • It has been adopted as a Best Practice under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme by The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

 

SUKANYA SAMRUDDHI YOJANA

    • A small savings scheme, it is a part of BBBP.
Objectives
        • To motivate parents to open an account in the name of a girl child and for her welfare to deposit maximum of their savings upto the prescribed limits.
        • To meet the requirement of higher education expense for girls.
Salient Features
        • A small savings scheme.
        • The Sukanya Samriddhi Account is opened to facilitate their education and marriage expenses with a minimum deposit of Rs 1,000 and a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh.
        • A parent or legal guardian can open an account in the name of the girl child until she attains the age of ten years.
        • She can withdraw 50% of the money after reaching age of 18 e.g. for higher education. 18 years deadline will also help preventing child-marriages.
        • The annual deposit (contributions) qualifies for Section 80C benefit and the maturity benefits are non-taxable.
        • It would prevent early marriages of girl and ensure equitable share to a girl child in resources and savings of a family in which she is generally discriminated as against male child.
        • Tenure of the Deposit: 21 years from the date of opening of the account

UJJAWALA SCHEME

  • Approved for implementation in – 2016
  • Centrally sponsored scheme – “Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of Trafficking for Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-Integration of Victims of Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Exploitation – Ujjawala
Objectives
    • For prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation, re-integration and repatriation of cross-border victims to their country of origin.
      • Prevention – of trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation
      • Rescue – of victims from the place of their exploitation & place them in safe custody.
      • Rehabilitation – both immediate and long-term to the victims by providing basic amenities/needs such as shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment including counselling, legal aid and guidance and vocational training.
      • Reintegration – of the victims into the family and society at large
      • Repatriation – of cross-border victims to their country of origin.
Target beneficiaries
    • Women and children who are vulnerable to trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
Salient Features
    • Rehabilitative centres are given financial support for providing shelter and basic amenities such as:
      • Food, clothing, medical care, legal aid;
      • Education in the case the victims are children,
      • Vocational training and income generation activities to provide the victims with alternate livelihood option.

 

RAJIV GANDHI SCHEME FOR EMPOWERMENT OF ADOLESCENT BOYS-SAKSHAM 

Objectives 
    • All-round development of Adolescent Boys (11-18 yrs) to make them self-reliant, gender sensitive and aware citizens.
Salient Features 
    • Address the health needs- physical, mental and emotional- of boys and promote awareness of hygiene, nutrition and sexual and reproductive health.
    • Provide vocational skills to those aged above 16 years through the National Skill Development Program (NSDP)
    • The structures under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) will be utilised as a platform. This will be supported by a dedicated Saksham unit/cell created at the Centre and in the State, district and block levels.

 

SWADHAR GREH SCHEME

Launched in – 2015 (by merging 2 earlier schemes – Short Stay Home & Swadhar)

Objectives
    • To setup Swadhar Greh in every district with capacity of 30 women –
      1. To provide Temporary residential accommodation to meet primary need of shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment and care of the women in distress and who are without any social and economic support.
      2. To provide them with legal aid and guidance to enable them to take steps for their readjustment in family/society.
      3. To rehabilitate them economically and emotionally.
      4. To enable them to start their life afresh with dignity and conviction
Target beneficiaries
    • Women above 18 years of age who are in difficult circumstances –
      • Women who are deserted
      • Survivors of natural disasters
      • Prisoners released from jail
      • Victims of domestic violence, family tension or discord
      • Trafficked women/girls rescued or runaway
      • Women affected by HIV/AIDS etc.
    • Children accompanying women in the above categories would also be allowed to stay in the Swadhar Greh with their mothers (Girls upto age of 18 and boys upto age of 8).
Salient Features
    • Any government or civil society organization could seek assistance under the Scheme.
    • The Objectives would be pursued adopting the following strategies
    • Temporary residential accommodation with the provision of food, clothing, medical facilities etc.
    • Vocational and skill up gradation trainings for economic rehabilitation of such women
    • Counselling, awareness generation and behavioural trainings
    • Legal aid and Guidance
    • Counselling through telephone
    • Swadhar Greh is a DBT compliant scheme.

 

GENDER CHAMPIONS SCHEME

  • It’s a collaborative effort of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Objectives
    • To make young boys and girls gender sensitive and create positive social norms which value the rights of women and girls.
Target beneficiaries
    • Gender Champions can be both boys and girls above 16 years of age enrolled in educational institutions.
Salient Features 
    • Gender Champions are envisaged as responsible leaders who will facilitate an enabling environment within their schools/colleges/ academic institutions where girls are treated with dignity and respect.
    • Scheme will strengthen the potential of young girls and boys to advocate for gender equality and monitor progress towards gender justice.
    • It focuses on creating awareness on laws, legislations, legal rights and life skills education.
    • Gender Champions are envisaged as responsible leaders who will facilitate an enabling environment within their schools/colleges/academic institutions where girls are treated with dignity and respect.

 

NIRBHAYA FUND

  • It is a dedicated fund, announced by GoI in 2013.
Objectives 
    • To fund initiatives aimed at enhancing safety & security of women in India.
Funds
    • Corpus Amount – Initially – Rs. 1000 cr (Rs. 3,600 cr in 2018-19). It is a non-lapsable corpus fund.
    • Fund administered by – Department of Economic Affairs of Ministry of Finance.
    • Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry to appraise schemes under Nirbhaya Fund and also to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned Schemes.
    • The Empowered Committee of Officers It is an inter-ministerial committee, constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, WCD that appraises and recommends various proposals/projects proposed by different Ministries/Departments/States.
    • It also regularly reviews the implementation of projects from time to time.

Some of the Schemes under the Fund

Schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development under Nirbhaya Fund
      • Sakhi Centres, the One Stop Centre Scheme
      • Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) -who will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress. Haryana has become the first state to start the Mahila Police Volunteer scheme Universalisation of Women Helpline (WHL).
Schemes of Ministry of Home Affairs under Nirbhaya Fund
      • Emergency Response support System which aims to integrate all emergency numbers to 112 with state of art technology.
      • Central Victim Compensation Fund – A Corpus Fund of Rs.200 crores to be disbursed to States/UT for Central Victim Compensation Scheme (CVCF) framed under section 357A CrPC.
      • Safe City Proposal for 8 Cities – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
      • Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC)
      • Strengthening DNA analysis, cyber forensic & related facilities in SFSLs
      • Forensic Lab for Women/ sexual violence at CFSL, Chandigarh
Schemes of Ministry of Railways under Nirbhaya Fund
      • Integrated Emergency Response Management System to provide round the clock security to women passengers in Railway Stations.
      • Proposal for Design, Development and Implementation of “Single Security Help App” for security of women passengers.
Schemes of Department of Justice under Nirbhaya Fund
      • Setting up Fast Track Special Courts to dispose off cases pending trial under Rape & POCSO Act
Schemes of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways under Nirbhaya Fund
      • Abhaya Project Proposal (Andhra Pradesh) – This proposal is for ensuring the safety of Women and Girl child during the transport (auto rickshaw)
Schemes of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology under Nirbhaya Fund
      • Panic Button System in Public Transport Vehicles

 

SAKHI ONE STOP CENTRES

Objectives 
    • To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace under one roof.
    • To facilitate immediate, emergency and non – emergency access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women.
Target beneficiaries
    • All women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, irrespective of caste, class, religion, region, sexual orientation or marital status.
Salient Features 
    • It’s funded through Nirbhaya Fund.
    • The Central Government provide 100% financial assistance to the State Government /UT Administrations under the Scheme.
    • Implementing Agency: State Government/ UT Administration.
    • These are 24×7 centres and any woman in an adverse situation or someone on her behalf can seek help from the Sakhi Centre by dialling Women’s toll-free helpline 181.

 

NATIONAL MISSION FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

Objectives 
    • To achieve holistic empowerment of women through convergence of schemes of different Ministries/Department of Centre & State Governments.
Salient Features 
    • Establishment of Poorna Shakti Kendra (PSK) or Women Resource Centres as convergence/facilitation centres at the district, block and Gram Panchayat (GP) level
    • PSK to create awareness, facilitate greater access for women to government schemes, connect them with the service providers, and handholding of women in need.

 

PRADHAN MANTRI MAHILA SHAKTI KENDRA (PMMSK)

  • Centrally sponsored scheme (60:40 – General, 90:10 – Special, 100 – UTs)
  • It is a new sub-scheme under the Umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shashaktikaran Yojana (PMMSY) approved for implementation during 2017-18 upto 2019-20.
Objectives 
    • Empower rural women through community participation to create an environment in which they realize their full potential.
    • It aims to provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.
Salient Features 
    • The scheme has been approved for implementation in 23 States /UTs namely: Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra & NH, Gujarat, J&K, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
    • PMMSK Block level initiatives: Under it, community engagement is envisioned in 115 most backward districts with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra through Student Volunteers as “agents of change”.
    • MSK will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government.
    • It will provide an opportunity to Student Volunteers to participate in the nation development process and bring gender equality in backward district.

 

SHE-Box (Sexual Harassment Electronic Box)

It is an effort of Gol to enable government and private women employees to file complaints against sexual harassment at the workplace.

Launched by
    • Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), in November 2017.
Objective
    • To ensure the effective implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
    • To provide speedier remedy to women facing sexual harassment at workplace.
 Who can file complaints?
    • Women working in both public and private organizations, including those who have already filed a written complaint with the concerned Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) or Local Complaint Committee (LCC) constituted under the SH Act.
    • It includes all women working in organised or unorganised sector, both, including the domestic workers.
Procedure & Status Tracking
    • Once a complaint is submitted to the ‘SHE-Box’, it will be directly sent to the internal complaints committee (ICC) of the ministry/department/PSU/autonomous body etc. concerned, having jurisdiction to inquire into the matter.
    • Through this portal, WCD as well as complainant can monitor the progress of inquiry conducted by the ICC.

 

NARI Portal

Developed by – Ministry of Women & Child Development

Objectives
    • With a view to empower women the portal will provide women citizens with easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for women.
Need for the Portal
    • The Government has implemented a number of schemes & legislations for women, however, there is a lack of awareness of these provisions and difficulties in accessing their benefits
    • Also, the information related to women centric schemes/legislations are all scattered on different websites/portals.
    • To address this problem government launched NARI portal as a single window access to information and services on various women centric schemes/legislations
Significance of the Portal
    • Empowerment – NARI portal will endow women with the power of information to build their life skills and help them in taking full advantage of the services provided by the Government for them.
    • Accessibility –
      1. Information access – The portal summarizes over 350 government schemes (by Centre & State governments) and other important information for the benefit of women, making them easily accessible in one place.
      2. Institutional Access – It provides links to the Ministries, Departments and autonomous bodies offering these schemes as well as easy access to on line applications and grievance redressal.
    • Comprehensive coverage – The schemes are divided into 7 different categories – education, health, employment, housing and shelter, addressing violence, decision making and social support.
    • Awareness Generation – There are tips on good nutrition, suggestions for health checkups, information on major diseases, tips for job search and interview, investment and savings advice, information on crimes and against women and reporting procedures, contacts of legal aid cells and simplified adoption procedures.

 

SUPPORT TO TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN (STEP)

  • Central Sector Scheme – Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)
  • In operation since – 1986-87
Objectives 
    • To provide skills that give employability to women.
    • To provide competencies and skills that enable women to become self- employed/entrepreneurs.
Salient Features 
    • The scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.
    • Skill covering areas such as (not limited to) – Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Processing, Handlooms, Tailoring, Stitching, Embroidery, Zari etc, Handicrafts, Computer & IT enable services etc.
    • The grant under the Scheme is given to an institution/ organization including NGOs directly and not the States/ UTs.

OTHER INITIATIVES UNDER MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Schemes

Objectives & Salient Features

 

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)

 

 

  • Established by the Gol in 1993 as an autonomous body (registered as Society) under the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
  • Objectives – Socio-economic empowerment of women through multi-pronged effort, specifically by providing micro-credit.
  • RMK provides loans to NGO-MFls termed as Intermediary Organizations (IMO) which on-lend to Self Help Groups (SHGs) of women.
 

‘She Means Business’ Programme

 

 

  • Programme of Facebook launched by Odisha Govt. for women entrepreneurs.
  • It aims to reduce the digital divide and empower women entrepreneurs and SHGs.
 

Mahila E-Haat

 

  • Launched in – 2016
  • It’s an online marketing platform for women.
  • Direct    online   marketing platform leveraging technology for supporting women entrepreneurs/SHGs/ NGOs for showcasing the products/ services to directly sell to the buyers.
  • Eligible users – open to all Indian women citizens more than 18 years of age and women SHGs The Participants/ vendors will receive the payment directly from the buyer.
  • A part of ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ initiatives.
  • It’s an initiative for meeting aspirations and need of women entrepreneurs which will leverage technology for showcasing products made/manufactured/sold by women entrepreneurs
  • An initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development under Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) – autonomous body under the WCD ministry, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 for the socio-economic empowerment of women.

 

 

E-Samvaad Portal

 

 

  • Developed by – Ministry of Women & Child Development
  • It is a platform for NGOs and civil society to interact with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) by providing their feedback, suggestions, put up grievances, share best practices etc.
  • Senior Officers within MWCD will be able to view the inputs/suggestions received for their concerned subject areas and appropriately respond to NGOs.
  • This will help in formulation of effective policies and measures for welfare of women and children.
 

Khoya Paya portal

 

  • Developed Jointly by – Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY)
  • It’s a citizen-based website to exchange information on missing and found children.
  • Aim -To provide enabling platform for people to directly report, track and upload information on missing children (establishes citizen to citizen contact)
 

Jan Sampark program

 

  • Objective – To enable the public to have interaction with Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) officials and staff for seeking information related to Adoption as well as flagging their concerns.
  • Participants – Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs), Adoptive Parents and representatives of agencies are expected to participate in the sessions.
  • Counselling – Also many of the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) will be counselled and motivated to go for adopting older children.
  • CARINGS Portal – Details pertaining to Immediate Placement and Special Needs Adoption Module of Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System (CARINGS) portal will be shared.
 

Nari Shakti Puraskar

 

  • It is an award conferred on eminent women, organization and institutions rendering distinguished service to the cause of women especially belonging to the vulnerable and marginalized sections of the society on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD).
 

Dhanalakshmi Scheme

 

  • It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for the girl child.
  • The main objective of the scheme is to provide a set of financial incentives for families to encourage them to retain a girl child, educate her and prevent child marriage as well as covering certain medical expenses for girls.
 

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Baal Puraskar

 

  • Baal Shakti Puraskar (to children for outstanding achievement), Baal Kalyan Puraskar (outstanding contribution towards service for children)
 

Central Adoption Resource Authority
(CARA)

 

  • CARA has been set up as a statutory, autonomous body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
  • Mandate – It acts as a nodal body for adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered Indian children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies.
  • It monitors and regulates in-country and inter-country adoption.
  • It is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Conventions on Inter-Country Adoptions, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.

 

 

 

 

To read and learn about Government Schemes and Programs related to other Ministries, Click Here(Notes on all Government Ministries Schemes and Programs)

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