Lok Sabha Question No. 4693 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-28
Subject: Empowering Women for Viksit Bharat
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Shashank Mani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4693

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2025

## EMPOWERING WOMEN FOR VIKSIT BHARAT

## 4693.  SHRI SHASHANK MANI:

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

- (a) whether the Government recognizes the importance of empowering women as a strong foundation for building a Viksit Bharat, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  initiatives  like  Mission  Shakti,  Mission  Poshan-2.0  and  Mission Vatsalya  are  effectively  driving  societal  change  and  enhancing  women's participation in nation-building; and
- (c) whether the Government is taking steps to identify and recognize women at the grassroots level for their contributions to social and economic development, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR )

(a)  to  (c):  The  Government  gives  utmost  priority  to  the  safety,  security  and empowerment of women in the country. To this end, the Government has adopted multi-pronged approach to address the needs of women on a life-cycle continuum basis for their educational, social, economic and political empowerment so that they become equal  partners  in  fast  paced  and  sustainable  national  development.  This 'Women led development' is essential for realising the goal of a developed India, or 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the country, for the welfare of women and children, which are clubbed into  three  umbrella  missions  viz.  (1)  Mission  Shakti,  for  safety,  protection  and empowerment  of  women;  (2)  Saksham  Anganwadi  &  Poshan  2.0  for  improving nutrition & health indicators in the country; and (3) Mission Vatsalya, for protection and welfare of children in difficult circumstances. The details of the schemes are as under:

(i) Mission  Shakti: The  'Mission  Shakti'  aims  at  strengthening  interventions  for women safety, security and empowerment. It seeks to focus on proposing strategies for improving convergence across Ministries/ Departments and at different levels of governance. Mission Shakti comprises of two verticals 'Sambal' and 'Samarthya' for safety and security of women and empowerment of women respectively.

The 'Sambal' vertical is for safety and security of women. It has the schemes of One Stop Centres (OSCs), Women Helpline (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) and Nari Adalat.

- a. One Stop Centres (OSCs)An institution located at district level offering under one  roof  immediate  help  to  women  in  distress  such  as  temporary  shelter, medical & police assistance, counselling and legal support.
- b. Women Helpline (WHL)The Women Helpline 181 provides toll-free 24-hours telecom service to women seeking support and information. It is also integrated with  Emergency  Response  Support  System  (ERSS)  112  for  all  emergency services and its integration with all One Stop Centres is in progress.
- c. Beti  Bachao  Beti  Padhao  (BBBP)BBBP  is  a  mindset  change  program helping in generating awareness for valuing the girl child through multi-sectoral interventions.
- d. Nari  AdalatAn experimental  platform  providing  women  with  an  alternative Grievance  Redressal  Mechanism  at  Gram  Panchayat  level  by  negotiation, mediation, and reconciliation with mutual consent for speedy, accessible, and affordable justice. It has been piloted in 50 Gram Panchayats each of Assam and UT of Jammu & Kashmir.

The  'Samarthya'  vertical  is  for  empowerment  of  women.  It  has  the  schemes  of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna and SANKALP : Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).

- a. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)PMMVY is a Centrally Sponsored Maternity Benefits Scheme under which cash incentive of ₹5,000/is provided directly to the Bank/Post Office account of the beneficiary in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode for first child. Cash incentive of ₹6,000/- is also provided under PMMVY to eligible beneficiaries for second child being a girl child.
- b. Shakti SadanShakti Sadan is an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for the women in distress situations and difficult circumstances.
- c. Sakhi NiwasThe Sakhi Niwas Scheme (Working Women Hostel) is a demand driven centrally sponsored scheme, under which funds are released directly to the  States/UTs  and  aims  to  promote  availability  of  safe  and  conveniently located  accommodation  for  working  women  in  urban,  semi-urban  and  even rural areas where employment opportunity for women exist.
- d. PalnaPalna  scheme  through  day-care  créche  facilities  provides  safe  and secure place for the children. Creche services formalise the child care facilities hitherto considered as part of domestic work and uses Aanganwadi infrastructure for ensuring delivery of care facilities till the last mile
- e. SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW)T he SANKALP: HEW serves as a vehicle to bridge the information and knowledge gap regarding schemes  and  facilities  available  for  women.  It  also  serves  as  a  Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for all components under Mission Shakti.

(ii)  Saksham  Anganwadi  &  Poshan  2.0  (Mission  Poshan  2.0): Under  this programme,  Anganwadi  Services  Scheme,  POSHAN  Abhiyaan  and  Scheme  for Adolescent Girls has been reorganized into 3 primary verticals: (i) Nutrition Support for  children  below  the  age  of  6  years,  Pregnant  Women,  Lactating  Mothers  and Adolescent Girls (14 -18 years); (ii) Early Childhood Care and Education [3-6 years] and (iii) Anganwadi Infrastructure including modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadi.

(iii) Mission Vatsalya: Mission Vatsalya (erstwhile Child Protection Services Scheme (ICPS))  is  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  (CSS)  which  is  implemented  through States/Union Territories (UTs) to deliver services for better outreach and protection for Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) and Children in Conflict with Law (CCL) which include Institutional Care and Non-Institutional Care in a mission mode with the objective to: (i) Support and sustain Children in difficult circumstances (ii) Develop  context-based  solutions  for  holistic  development  of  children  from  varied backgrounds (iii) Provide scope for green field projects for encouraging innovative solutions (iv) Cement convergent action by gap funding, if required.

The scheme also provides for emergency outreach services (24x7) for children in difficult circumstances through Child Helpline (1098).

These initiatives are transformative schemes designed to address critical social issues about women & children and bring about lasting social change in the country. They target key areas of welfare & development of women and children aiming to create a more inclusive, equitable, just and supportive society.

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