Lok Sabha Question No. 2927 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-17
Subject: Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra Yojana
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Bhagirath Chaudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2927

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.03.2023

## PRADHAN MANTRI MAHILA SHAKTI KENDRA YOJANA

## †2927. SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY :

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- a. the time when the Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra Yojana was launched for the economic empowerment of women on basis of cost sharing along with the process of selection in this regard;
- b. whether  any  criteria  has  been  fixed  for  the  beneficiaries  of  the  scheme,  if  so,  the details thereof;
- c. the number of eligible women benefited under the scheme from the date of launch till December, 2022, year-wise and State-wise including district-wise in Rajasthan;
- d. whether proposals have been sent for setting up centers under the scheme in various districts of the States including Rajasthan, if so, the present status thereof; and
- e. the details of the amount released under the scheme in all the districts of Rajasthan?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e): The Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) Scheme was approved in November, 2017 as a centrally  sponsored  scheme  to  empower  rural  women  through  community  participation. Under the MSK scheme, a sum of Rs. 4.03 crore was released  to the State of Rajasthan since its inception.

A  third  party  evaluation  study  of  MSK  scheme  was  conducted  by  NITI  Aayog  in  2020. Taking into account the findings of the evaluation and in consultation with States/ UTs and stakeholders, the scheme has been discontinued with effect from 01.04.2022, while suitably incorporating  appropriate  provisions  under  other  components  of  ''Mission  Shakti'',  an umbrella  scheme  for  safety,  security  and  empowerment  of  women  launched  by  the Government  with  effect  from  01.04.2022  for  implementation  during  the  Fifteenth  Finance Commission period.

The umbrella scheme 'Mission Shakti' has two sub-schemes namely ' Sambal ' and ' Samarthya ' for greater efficiency, effectiveness and financial prudence. Benefiting from the learning  from  implementation  of  earlier  scheme,  a  new  component  has  been  incorporated under 'Samarthya' sub- scheme i.e. Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW), at National, State and District levels. HEW aims to facilitate inter-sectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women at the Central (NHEW), State/ UT (SHEW) and District (DHEW) levels with the mandate to create an environment in which women realize their full potential. The support under HEW provides for information dissemination, guiding, linking and hand holding  women  to  various  institutional  and  schematic  set  ups  for  their  empowerment  and development  including  access  to healthcare, quality education, career and  vocational counseling/  training,  financial  inclusion,  entrepreneurship,  backward  and  forward  linkages, health  and  safety  for  workers,  social  security  and  digital  literacy  etc.  across  the  country including the State of Rajasthan. Under the Scheme, cost sharing between Centre and States is  60:40,  except  in  respect  of  North  Eastern  and  Special  Category  States,  where  the  cost sharing ratio is 90:10 and for UTs without Legislature, it is 100% central funding.

The  Ministry  has  approved  setting  up  SHEW  at  State  level  and  DHEW  for  each  of  the districts of Rajasthan and a sum of Rs.2.66 crore as Central Share has already been released to the State for the purpose.

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