Women Empowerment Initiatives: UPSC Daily Important Topic | 22 October 2022

Women Empowerment Initiatives:

 The government has taken various steps for women empowerment as enumerated below:

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: It was launched by the PM to decrease the female infanticide rate in the country and encourage people to educate their daughters. The programme was in the nature of ‘nudge’, without any reward or punishment, but pointing people in the right direction.

• Ujjwala: It is a scheme launched by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to distribute free LPG connections to the poor and deprived households of the country. The programme seeks to reduce the use of unclean fuels like firewood, coal, dung-cakes etc. which may cause respiratory issues for the women and children.

• Swadhar Greh: It is a scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to provide shelter, food, clothing, health and skill development support to the women in need. It caters to the needy women like women who have been deserted, victims of domestic violence, trafficked women, survivors of natural disasters, prisoners released from jail etc.

• PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): The scheme has twin objectives of helping pregnant and lactating women by preventing loss due to inability to attend to work, as well as decreasing the prevalence of malnutrition and anemia in the country. The scheme provides for DBT of Rs. 5000 in three stages, viz. registration, medical checkup after six months and immunization of the child.