Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Ujjwala Yojana and more: A look at PM Narendra Modi’s commitment to women empowerment

“Women empowerment is crucial to India’s growth. Days of seeing women as ‘home makers’ have gone, we have to see women as nation builders!” Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, had tweeted in January 2014. With his commitment to ‘nari shakti’, Prime Minister Modi has launched various schemes during his tenure that began in May 2014. When the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance dispensation completed eight years at the Centre this year, Modi had shared the ‘big picture’ or the achievements of his government in attaining the goal of women empowerment. Sharing a series of MyGov tweets, Prime Minister Modi had said, “You will enjoy reading these articles on how a new paradigm is being created to further empowerment of women. These efforts cover diverse sectors and have ensured more dignity as well as opportunities for women.”

Comprehensive information about the work to empower India’s Nari Shakti. #8YearsOfWomenEmpowerment https://t.co/j1EGewmR8G

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 9, 2022

As Modi completes 72 years today, a look at his government’s schemes aimed at tackling disparity and uplifting women. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Launched on 22 January 2015 at Panipat, Haryana by the prime minister, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) works to improve the declining child sex ratio (CSR). It also ensures survival, protection and education of the girl child. Under the scheme, training is furnished to local governing bodies, schools, and governmental departments in order to bring about social change and improvement. [caption id=“attachment_11270401” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ ensures survival, protection and education of the girl child. PTI[/caption] Girls who have Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA) in any bank and are below 10 years are eligible to avail this scheme. Only resident Indians can apply for BBBP. The beneficiaries of this scheme are married couples, pregnant people, parents, healthcare workers, in-laws, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, voluntary organisations, media, women SHGs Sector among others. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) Under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), rural and deprived households are equipped with concessional LPG connections. The scheme aims to benefit women who use traditional methods of cooking that are detrimental to their health.

Since its launch on 1 May 2016, more than nine crore free LPG connections have been provided, as per the official data.

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Earlier in May this year, a subsidy of Rs 200 per gas cylinder (for up to 12 cylinders) was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the Ujjwala beneficiaries. With this, the price of the cylinder was reduced and a 14.2 kg cylinder now costs Rs 803. [caption id=“attachment_11270431” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Over nine crore LPG connections have been provided under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. PTI[/caption] One Stop Centre One Stop Centre was floated by the government in 2015 for women in distress or those affected by violence. These centres provide myriad facilities in one place — police facilitation, medical aid, legal aid and counseling, psycho-social counseling and temporary shelter, as per the ministry of women and child development. According to the official data, there are a total of 705 functional One Stop Centres across the country that have assisted over 4.50 lakh women till date. “As per the scheme guidelines, district/state authorities are mandated for monitoring, coordinating and mid-course correction for effective implementation of the scheme. The ministry at various levels also reviews, from time to time, for effective implementation of the scheme and functioning of these centres by issuing advisories to states governments/UT administrations and conducting meeting, video conferencing etc with all concerned functionaries,” Women and Child Development minister Smriti Irani told Lok Sabha in a written reply in February this year. Moreover, Sakhi Dashboard, an online platform, monitors the implementation of the scheme. Mahila E-Haat With the purpose to support female entrepreneurs, the Centre kick-started Mahila E-Haat, an online marketing platform. These businesswomen can directly connect to the seller. They can display their product on the platform along with its image, description and price. Mahila Shakti Kendras Mahila Shakti Kendra aims to empower rural women through “community participation”. Describing the scheme, late Arun Jaitley had said in 2017 that Mahila Shakti Kendras will provide “one stop convergent support services for empowering rural women with opportunities for skill development, employment, digital literacy, health and nutrition”, Scroll reported. Under Mahila Shakti Kendra scheme implementation guideline, female candidates are employed as Women Welfare Officers and District Coordinators in District Level Centres for Women (DLCW). National Creche Scheme Women and Child Development ministry implemented the National Creche Scheme for Children of Working Mothers in 2017. The scheme offers daycare facilities for children (aged six months to up to six years) of working mothers. Notably, even though the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme was not specifically aimed at women, more than half (56 per cent) of the accounts are held by female beneficiaries. Since the launch of the scheme in 2014, over 46 crore bank accounts have been opened in the country with a deposit balance of Rs 1.74 lakh crore, Sitharaman said in August this year. More representation in politics Implementing schemes to benefit women isn’t the only way Prime Minister Narendra Modi has empowered women. He has given them more space in the political scenario. In fact, when Narendra Modi expanded his Cabinet during his second tenure as prime minister in July 2021, he inducted 11 women into his Council of Ministers. This is the highest number of women ministers in the Union government since 2004. [caption id=“attachment_11270551” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The 11 women in Modi’s government – making it the highest number since 2004. PTI[/caption] Moreover, the BJP, Narendra Modi’s party, has also been giving more representation to women in politics. In 2019, it fielded more female candidates than any other party. Today, Parliament has a total of 103 women of which 78 are in Lok Sabha. Of the 78 women in the Lower House, the BJP has the highest numbers with 40 women MPs. Taking the legal route Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also brought about change in women’s lives and empowered them by changing or bringing in new laws for their betterment. Under his aegis, Parliament passed the triple talaq bill in July 2019. The passage of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill was a major success for the BJP-led NDA as well as for countless Muslim women across the country. [caption id=“attachment_11270571” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of women celebrating after Parliament passed the triple talaq bill. PTI[/caption] Also, his government revised the permissible gestational age for abortion to 24 weeks — up from 20 weeks — for vulnerable women through the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021 and also proposed that the legal marriage age for women be raised to 21 years, at par with men, under the provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Such actions ensure women’s self-governance and procedural independence. It can be said that under the Modi rule, the future of India is ‘female’. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.