Lok Sabha Question No. 4255 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-13
Subject: Women Empowerment Programme
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Abdul Khaleque

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN- STARRED QUESTION NO: 4255

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2019

## WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

## 4255. SHRI ABDUL KHALEQUE:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the  various  programmes  undertaken  for  women  empowerment  in  the  last  five years;
- (b) the number of women who have been empowered so far in the last five years, State-wise; and
- (c) the various women empowerment schemes being implemented in rural areas of Assam and the outcomes achieved so far?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a) to (c):  The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing various schemes for the empowerment of women across the country including the State of Assam. The details of major schemes are as under:
- i. Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme aims to empower rural women through community participation.  The  scheme  envisages  community  engagement  through  College Student Volunteers to empower rural women in 115 aspirational districts as part of block level initiatives. District Level Centre for Women (DLCW) in 640 districts and  State  Resource  Centre  for  Women  support  the  respective  government  in States/UTs  towards  implementation  of  women  centric  schemes  and  BBBP program. Under Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme  block level activities for empowerment  of  rural  women  has  been  approved  for  7  aspirational  districts namely, Dhubri, Goalpara, Barbeta, Darrang, Baksa, Udalguri and Hailakandi.
- ii. Swadhar Greh scheme targets women victims of unfortunate circumstances who are in need of institutional support for rehabilitation so that they can lead their life with dignity. The number of women benefitted under Swadhar Greh Scheme for current  FY  is  12,890.  In  Assam,  15  Swadhar  Grehs  are  functional  and  6288 women have benefitted during the last 5 years.
- iii. Ujjawala is a comprehensive scheme with the objective 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. The number of women benefitted under Ujjawala Scheme for current financial year is 5427. In Assam,  20  Ujjawala  homes  are  functional  and  21880  women  have  benefitted during last 5 years.
- iv. Working Women Hostel aims at providing safe and affordable accommodation to working women. These hostels have day care facility for the children of inmates too.  The  Ministry  provides  financial  support  for  establishing  such  hostels  by NGOs  or  State  Governments.  The  additional  number  of  women  who  would benefit under Working Women Hostels for the current FY 2019-20 is 750.There are 11 Working Women Hostels functional in the state of Assam.
- v. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme is a tri-ministerial initiative of Ministries of  Women  and  Child  Development,  Health  &  Family  Welfare  and  Human Resource Development with a focus on awareness and advocacy campaign for changing  mindsets, multi-sectoral action in select districts, enabling girls' education and effective enforcement of Pre-Conception & Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act. The specific objectives of the scheme is to address declining  Child  Sex  Ratio  (CSR)  by  preventing  gender  biased  sex  selective elimination;  ensuring  survival  and  protection  of  the  girl  child  and  ensuring education  and  participation  of  the  girl  child.  In  the  State  of  Assam,  BBBP Scheme is being implemented in Kamrup (M) district since January 2015 and two other districts namely Dhemaji and Cachar since 2019.
- vi. Women Helpline Scheme (WHL) is being implemented since 1st April, 2015 to provide 24 hours emergency and non-emergency response to women affected by  violence  through  referral  and  information  about  women  related  government schemes/programmes across the country through a single uniform number (181). WHL also supports women in distress with rescue van and counselling services in addition to providing information about women welfare schemes and programs across the country. Women Helpline is operational in 32 States/UTs.In Assam, Women  Helpline  Scheme  is  being  implemented  since  April  2018  and  1660 women have availed services under the scheme.
- vii. One  Stop  Centre  (OSC)  facilitates  access  to  an  integrated  range  of  services including police, medical, legal, psychological support and temporary shelter to women affected by violence. The Scheme is funded through the Nirbhaya Fund. Under  the  scheme,  One  Stop  Centres  are  being  set  up  in  all  districts  of  the country. So far, 728 OSCs have been approved to be set up in all States/UTs. Out  of  these,  614  OSCs  have  been  set  up  across  35  States/UTs  which  have provided assistance to over 2.27 lakh women. In the state of Assam, One Stop Centre  Scheme  is  being  implemented  in  the  districts  of  Kamrup  (M),  Nagaon, Cachar,  Karimganj  and  Jorhat  since  2017  and  has  been  approved  for  all  33 districts in 2019 which have provided assistance to 1458 women.
- viii. Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) Scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of  Women  and  Child  Development  in  collaboration  with  the  Ministry  of  Home Affairs. It envisages engagement of Mahila Police Volunteers in States/UTs who act  as  a  link  between  police  and  community  and facilitates  women  in  distress. The  Mahila  Police  Volunteers  are  empowered,  responsible,  socially  aware women fostering linkage for the women needing assistance and law enforcements  with  various  government  programmes  and  initiatives.  At  least  1 MPV shall be engaged in each and every Panchayat/Ward. Bigger villages can have  more  than  one  Volunteers  depending  upon  the  area/requirement.  At present,  MPV  Scheme  is  approved  for  12  States  namely  Mizoram  (Aizawl  & Lunglei),  Karnataka  (Gulbarga  &  Bagalkote),  Jharkhand  (Ranchi  &Dhanbad), Haryana  (Karnal  &  Mahendranagar),  Andhra  Pradesh  (all  districts),  Gujarat (Surat & Ahmedabad), Chhattisgarh (Korea & Durg), Madhya Pradesh (Vidisha & Morena),Tripura  (West  Tripura  &  Gomti),  Nagaland  (Dimapur  &  Longleng), Uttarakhand  (Haridwar  and  Udham  Singh  Nagar)  and  Andaman  &  Nicobar Islands  with  over  9531  Volunteers.  However,  for  Andaman  &  Nicobar  Islands, Jharkhand,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Karnataka,  Tripura,  Nagaland  and  Uttarakhand, MPV Scheme is under process of operationalization.