WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IS CRUCIAL TO INDIA'S GROWTH
Naari Sashaktikaran, often referred to as women’s empowerment, is a crucial societal and global objective aimed at enhancing the status, rights, and opportunities for women. It is about enabling women to participate fully in all aspects of life, including economic, political, social, and personal realms.
Women’s empowerment encompasses several key components, including education, economic independence, healthcare access, and legal rights. Education plays a pivotal role by providing women with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions, pursue careers, and advocate for their rights. Economic empowerment involves ensuring women have equal opportunities in the workplace, access to financial resources, and the ability to start and manage businesses.
Moreover, healthcare access ensures women’s physical and mental well-being, while legal rights safeguard their protection against discrimination, violence, and exploitation. Promoting women’s empowerment not only benefits women individually but also contributes to social and economic development, fostering gender equality and a more just society for all. It is a continuous process that requires collective efforts from governments, organizations, and individuals to break down barriers and create a world where women can thrive.
The Union government introduced a Bill to provide one-third reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies as the historic first legislation in the new Parliament House on Tuesday, but the fine print ensures that the quota will not be implemented in next year’s general election.
DAYS OF SEEING WOMEN AS 'HOME MAKERS' HAVE GONE, WE HAVE TO SEE WOMEN AS NATION BUILDERS
Nari Shakti has seen a sweep of positivity over the last nine years. With the election of Smt Droupadi Murmu as India's first tribal president, the first president to be born after independence, and the youngest to be elected to the post, the leadership of the Indian democracy has become symptomatic of a shift in the mindsets of our citizens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, set a decisive agenda for ensuring women’s empowerment and it became a palpable reality as against a vacuous mantra.
This is strongly endorsed by the actions taken by the government in the last nine years, be it the 1.5 times increase in budget allocation, the tremendous push to education of girls; a total of 5,646 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) being sanctioned, or a gender-neutral career progression policy for women in the Defence forces, we can see a long-awaited shift in the mindsets of common everyday citizens who have embraced the strength and resilience of women as a matter of pride.
For the first time in India,
1,020 women
per 1,000 men (NFHS-5)
26 weeks
Paid maternity leave increased from 12 weeks
27.7 crore+
MUDRA loans issued to women to realise their entrepreneurial dreams
3.03 crore+
women paid under PM Matru Vandana Yojana
27 crore+
Jan Dhan bank accounts empowering women
34 crore+
sanitary pads ensured at Re. 1 in Jan Aushadhi Kendras
A unique achievement of PM Modi’s government is that it has introduced and made enhancements to existing policies, adding components that dovetail naturally to ease the lives and livelihoods of women even in schemes that are not devised specifically for them. When it comes to economic empowerment; MSME registration on the Udyam Portal has seen more than 2 lakh women-owned MSMEs registered during the special drives. This indicates a 28% increase in registration of women-owned MSME in just 3 years! Be it women in Self Help Groups (SHGs), women in agriculture, women-owned enterprises or just the broad participation of women in the workforce – an example is more than 45,000 DPIIT recognised startups have at least one-woman director - the numeric and qualitative increase in women participation is phenomenal.
The success of
women-led
MSMEs, Startups
and 82 lakh+
SHGs are a
testament to
women’s
contribution to
India’s growth.
Over 70% PMAY
homes owned
solely or jointly
by women are
making them the
centre of
prosperity, and
progress
47% of the total
DPIIT recognised
startups have at
least one women
director
empowering and
enabling
womenprenurs.
Further, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) , is an aggregator platform that showcases initiatives promoting women entrepreneurship. Under this government, the first batch of women cadets started training in NDA and the largest unit of Indian women peacekeepers in Sudan conflict zone was sent by the Indian Army. The percentage of women benefited (enrolled and trained) under PMGDISHA is overwhelming. The Union Budget 2023-24, by Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Mahila Samman Savings Certificate (MSSC) for girls and women to celebrate Nari Shakti and its financial dignity - samman. Similarly, when it comes to the mental and physical safety and security of women, Women Helpline Centres, One Stop
Centres, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) under Mission Vatsalya have all been instrumental in protecting and shepherding the dignity of women. It is this government that has jettisoned provisions for enhancement in paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, and made provisions for mandatory crèche facility in establishments having 50 or more employees. The setting up and trengthening Women Help Desks (WHDs) Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) in Police Stations in all States & UTs and has augmented women security
For the first time in India,
1,020 women
per 1,000 men (NFHS-5)
26 weeks
Paid maternity leave increased from 12 weeks
27.7 crore+
MUDRA loans issued to women to realise their entrepreneurial dreams
3.03 crore+
women paid under PM Matru Vandana Yojana
27 crore+
Jan Dhan bank accounts empowering women
34 crore+
sanitary pads ensured at Re. 1 in Jan Aushadhi Kendras
26 weeks
Paid maternity leave increased from 12 weeks
3.03 crore+
women paid under PM Matru Vandana Yojana
34 crore+
sanitary pads ensured at Re. 1 in Jan Aushadhi Kendras
The success of
women-led
MSMEs, Startups
and 82 lakh+
SHGs are a
testament to
women’s
contribution to
India’s growth.
Over 70% PMAY
homes owned
solely or jointly
by women are
making them the
centre of
prosperity, and
progress
47% of the total
DPIIT recognised
startups have at
least one women
director
empowering and
enabling
womenprenurs.
With over 70% of
MUDRA loans and
80% of Stand-Up
India Loans
sanctioned for
Women
entrepreneurs
have made them
empowered job
creators.
5 crore+ Sukanya
Samriddhi
Accounts with
Rs. 1.75 lakh crore
in savings have
changed the
mindset where
every girl child is
considered a
swaroop of Shakti
and Lakshmi .
Janaushadhi
Suvidha Sanitary
pads sold at just
Rs 1/- ensuring
‘Swachhta,
Swasthya and
Suvidha’ for the
underprivileged
Women of India.
Making Healthcare
affordable for the Most
Vulnerable- AB-PMJAY
is the world’s largest
health protection scheme
23.3 crore Ayushman
cards issued, 4.81 crore
hospital admissions
authorised, 27,565
hospitals empanelled
About 40,000 hospital
admissions are
authorized under the
scheme every day
17,788 rural Health and
Wellness Centres. 4
New National Institutes
for Virology, Regional
Research Platform for
WHO South East Asia
Region and 9 Bio-Safety
Level III laboratories
157 medical colleges
sanctioned, 22 AIIMS
approved, and75
government medical
college up-gradation
projects approved.
PM Ayushman Bharat
Health Infrastructure
Mission (PM-ABHIM)
launched to fill critical
gaps in public health
infrastructure.
Increased opportunity in
Healthcare Education
