Schemes & Acts (Women)

1.NIRBHAYA FUND

Salient Features–

• Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by Government of India in its 2013 Union Budget.
• According to the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, this fund is expected to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring the safety of women in India.
• Nodal Ministry-Ministry of Women & Child.

2.ICDS

Salient Features

• To prevent and reduce young child under-nutrition (% underweight children 0- 3 years) by 10 percentage points.
• Enhance early development and learning outcomes in all children 0-6 years of age.
• Improve care and nutrition of girls and women andreduce anaemia prevalence in young children, girls and women by one fifth by the end of 12th five year plan.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
• The engagement of the 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.  SNP – 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
• AEC-cum-crèche, AWC-cum counselor.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

3.Mahila Police Volunteer

Salient Features

• It envisages creation of a link between the police authorities and the local communities in villages through police volunteers who will be women specially trained for this purpose.
• Under this scheme it is expected to have at least one such volunteer in every village whose primary job will be to keep an eye on situations where women in the village are harassed or their rights and entitlements are denied or their development is prevented.
• Nodal Ministry – Joint initiative b/w Min. of WCD and Home Min. Ministry of Women & Child and Home Ministry.

4.UJJAWALA Yojana

Salient Features

• Comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child.

5.One Stop centre scheme

Salient Features

• To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof.
• To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of … support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women 1.These centres will provide immediate access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support to the victims.
• The OSC will support all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence ,also for girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 will be linked with the OSC.
• In addition to this, a single uniform number –181 will provide 24-hour emergency response to all women affected by violence, through referral (linking with appropriate authorities such as Police, OSC or hospital); funding thru’ Nirbhaya fund.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

6.Swadhar Grehs

Salient Features

• Homes for relief and rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances including survivors of rape/assault etc.
• Provision for food clothing, counselling. training, clinical and legal aid.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child.

7.She-Box

Salient Features

• Online complaint Management System for women working in both public and private organizations to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at workplace Act.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child.

8.Universalization of Women Helpline

Salient Features-

• A Women Helpline (state level toll free number such as 181) would be made universal for providing an immediate and 24 hour emergency response to women affected by violence including rescue (where necessary), information, first point contact counseling and referral (linking with appropriate authority such as police, One Stop Centre, hospital) services to any woman in distress across the country.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

9.Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women

Salient Features

• To achieve holistic empowerment of women through convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/Department of Government of India as well as State Governments.
• It aimed at improving the declining Child Sex Ratio; ensuring survival. & protection
• of the girl child; ensuring her education, and empowering her to fulfill her potential.s a social sector welfare schemes for care, protection and development of
• Women.
• It will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

10.Mahila Shakti Kendra

Salient Features

• Mahila Shakti Kendras will converge all Govt. Schemes for women at National, State, District and Block level
• Skill Development, Employment, Digital Literacy, Health and Nutrition.
• Through this scheme, government plans to reach 115 most backward districts in the country with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

11.Sabla

Salient Features

• 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.
• 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.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

12.Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana-

Salient Features

• Empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity,
• Create and sustain agriculture based livelihoods of rural women.-a sub component of the Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM)
• Under the Pariyojana, projects are conceived in such a manner that the skill base of the women in agriculture is enhanced to enable them to pursue their livelihoods on a sustainable basis.
• Under MKSP sustainable agriculture, 58 projects from 14 States have been sanctioned which will benefit 24.5 lakhs Mahila Kisans during the period.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Rural Development.

13.Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

Salient Features

• Prevent Female infanticide
• Ensure Every Girl Child is Protected
• Ensure every Girl Child is educated
• Enforcement of PC & PNDT Act, nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on Child Sex Ratio) in the first phase.
• Under this scheme there is a strong emphasis on mindset change through training, sensitization, awareness raising and community mobilization on ground.
• Nodal Ministry – It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.

14. Sukanya samriddhi yojana

Salient features

• (Minor) bank account for girl child below the age of 10.
• 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.
• For initial account opening, minimum deposit Rs.250 required.
• Later, any amount in multiple of 100 can be deposited, but maximum Rs. 1.5 lakh per year.
• Interest rate: 9.1% compounded annually.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

15. Pocso-e Box

Salient Features

• POCSO e-box is a unique endeavour by NCPCR for receiving online complaint of Child Sexual Abuse directly from the victim.
• Through a well defined procedure complaints are directly followed up by a team which counsels the victim, providing further guidance for required legal action. Through a short animation film embedded in the e-box it assures the victim not to feel bad, helpless or confused as it’s not her fault. With the e-box, it is easy to register complaint through a step-by-step guided process.
• Nodal Ministry – The Ministry of Women & Child

16.NARI

Salient Features

• Due to scattered information on various women centric schemes/legislations there is a lack of awareness among people regarding the same.
• To address this problem government launched NARI portal as a single window access to information and services.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology

17. E-samvaad Portal

Salient Features

• 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.
• This will help in formulation of effective policies and measures for welfare of women and children.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women & Child

18. Stree swabhiman

Salient Features

• It aims to create a sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products in rural areas.
• Under this project, sanitary napkin micro manufacturing units (semi-automatic and manual process
• production unit) are being set up at CSCs across India, particularly those operated by women entrepreneurs.
• The product will be sold under local brand name and marketed by village level entrepreneurs.
• Each facility will employ 8-10 women and educate women of their society to overcome this social taboo.
• It also has a menstrual hygiene related awareness generation component and is also expected reduc dropped out rates in girls on reaching puberty.Ministry of
• Nodal Ministry – Electronics and Information technology (MeITY).

19.PROGRAM TO TRAIN ELECTED WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS

Salient Features

• The program aimed at capacity building of EWRs is being organized by National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) of the MoWCD.
• It is the first ever initiative which will train approximately twenty thousand EWRs covering nearly 50 EWRs from each district (by March, 2018) who will go out and administer the villages professionally.
• It will help in creating model villages, ensure their effective participation in governance process and help preparing women as political leaders of the future.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of women and Child.

20.Support to Training and Employment

Salient Features

• Programme for Women (STEP)
• To provide competencies and skill that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.
• The scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of women and Child

21.Rashtriya Mahila Kosh

Salient Features

• RMK is a national credit fund for women under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• It was established in 1993 for socio-economic empowerment of women.
• It aims to provide financial services with backward and forward linkages for women in the unorganized sector through Intermediary Micro Finance Organizations (IMOs) and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to augment their capacities through multi-pronged efforts.
• RMK also extends micro-credit to the women in the informal sector through a client friendly, without collateral and in a hassle-free manner for income generation activities.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of women and child

22.The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018

Objectives

• It seeks to amend five Acts. These are: (i) the Divorce Act, 1869, (ii) the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939, (iii) the Special Marriage Act, 1954, (iv) the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and (v) the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956.

Key Features

• These Acts contain provisions related to marriage, divorce, and separation of Hindu and Muslim couples. Each of these Acts prescribe leprosy as a ground for seeking divorce or separation from the spouse.
• The Bill seeks to remove this as a ground for divorce or separation.

Nodal Ministry-Ministr of  Law and Justice

23.The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018

Objectives

• The Bill amends the IPC, 1860 to increase the minimum punishment for rape of women from seven years to ten years.

Key Features

• The Bill amends the IPC, 1860 to increase the punishment for rape of girls. However, punishment for rape of boys has remained unchanged. This has resulted in greater difference in the quantum of punishment for rape of minor boys and girls.
• The Bill imposes death penalty for rape of girls below the age of 12 years. There are differing views on death penalty for rape. Some argue that death penalty has a deterrence effect on the crime and therefore helps prevent it. Others argue that death penalty would be disproportionate punishment for rape.

Nodal Ministry-Ministry of Law and Justice