Lok Sabha Question No. 2479 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-10
Subject: National Commission for Scheduled Castes
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Adv. Chandra Shekhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2479 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.12.2024

## NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED CASTES

## 2479. ADV. CHANDRA SHEKHAR:

## Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) in light of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes' report on the socio-economic status of SC/ST communities, which emphasizes the need for targeted interventions, how will the Ministry of Women and Child Development utilize its budgetary allocation for 2024-25 to enhance access to essential services such as childcare, women's safety programs, and skill development initiatives for SC/ST women; and
- (b) the specific outcomes does the Ministry aim to achieve with these allocations?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE)

- (a) & (b): Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing different schemes to enhance access to essential services such as childcare, women's safety programs, and skill development initiatives for SC/ST women and has accordingly made budget provisions for 2024-25. The brief of such schemes is as follows:-
- (i) Mission Vatsalya : A Centrally Sponsored Scheme through the State/ UT Governments on pre-defined cost sharing basis between the Central and the State Governments to deliver services for children in difficult circumstances which include both institutional care and noninstitutional care services. The Child Care Institutions (CCIs) established under the Mission Vatsalya scheme support inter-alia age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. Support under non-institutional care is provided by way of sponsorship, foster care and after care to children in need of care and protection. The budget allocation for Mission Vatsalya scheme for the FY 2024-25 is Rs. 1472.17 crores.
- (ii) Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is being run across the country w.e.f. 01.01.2017. The PMMVY is a Centrally Sponsored Maternity Benefit Scheme under which cash incentives is provided directly to the Bank/Post Office account of the beneficiary in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

It is further stated that under PMMVY, Rs.297.52 crores (14.39% of the total allocation) and Rs.158.99 crores (7.69% of the total allocation) have been earmarked for the Financial Year 2024-25 for the functional heads namely, Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes (DAPS) and Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST) respectively to cater SC/ST communities specifically. The scheme envisages adequate rest to pregnant women and lactating mothers before and after the delivery of the first child; improved health seeking behaviour among pregnant women and lactating mothers; and positive behavioural change towards the girl child.

- (iii) National Programme on Anganwadi-cum-Crèche (Palna) : The Government's sustained initiatives on education, skilling and employment of women has resulted in increased opportunities for their employment, and more and more women are now in gainful employment, working within or outside their homes. Growing industrialization and urbanisation have also led to increased migration into the cities. Past few decades have shown a rapid increase in nuclear families. Thus, the children of such working women, who were earlier getting support from joint families while they were at work, are now in need of day care services which have to provide quality care and protection for the children. Lack of proper day-care services is, often, a deterrent for women to go out and work.

To address these difficulties faced by the working mothers in giving due child care and protection to their children, day-care crèche facilities are being provided through Palna scheme. Crèche services formalise the child care responsibilities hitherto considered as part of domestic work.

- (iv) National Hub for Empowerment of Women (NHEW): The Umbrella Scheme of Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes namely "Sambhal" and "Samrthya". 'Samarthya' subscheme has a new component i.e. Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) known as SANKALP: HEW (Supportive Action for Nurturing and Knowledge-Based Advancement, Last-Mile Delivery and Potential Realization of Women : Hub for Empowerment of Women) with aims to facilitate inter-sectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women at National level, State/ UT level and district level with the mandate to create an environment in which women realize their full potential to address gaps in state action for women and for promoting inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral convergence through strengthening the processes that promote holistic empowerment of women by creating an environment conducive to social change by improving access and utilization of government schemes. The objective will be achieved through knowledge and information services for awareness generation, sensitization, training etc. An amount of Rs. 72.04 crores were utilized during 2023-24 whereas Rs. 29.11 crores have been utilized so far during 2024-25 under the scheme.

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