Centre Lists Key Schemes for Financial, Social Empowerment of Women

Mission Shakti focuses on strengthening interventions for women’s safety, security, and empowerment. It comprises two sub-schemes—Sambal and Samarthya.

The Government of India is implementing a wide range of schemes and programmes across multiple Ministries and Departments to promote the financial and social empowerment of women, including widows, single mothers, and women in difficult circumstances. This information was shared by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

At the core of these initiatives are Centrally Sponsored Schemes implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development during the 15th Finance Commission period, starting from 2022–23. These schemes are organised under three major verticals: Mission Shakti, Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, and Mission Vatsalya, covering women’s safety, empowerment, nutrition, and child protection.

Mission Shakti focuses on strengthening interventions for women’s safety, security, and empowerment. It comprises two sub-schemes—Sambal and Samarthya. The Sambal component addresses safety and security through One Stop Centres (OSCs) at the district level, which provide integrated services such as temporary shelter, medical aid, police assistance, counselling, and legal support. The Women Helpline (181) offers 24×7 toll-free assistance to women in distress.

The Samarthya component aims at empowerment through multiple initiatives. These include the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which provides a cash incentive of ₹5,000 for the first child and ₹6,000 for the second child if it is a girl, directly transferred to beneficiaries’ bank or post office accounts. Other components include Shakti Sadan for rehabilitation of women in distress, Krishna Kutir in Vrindavan for widows, Sakhi Niwas (Working Women Hostels), Palna crèche services for child care, and the SANKALP Hub for Empowerment of Women to bridge information and knowledge gaps regarding government schemes.

Under Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, Anganwadi Services, POSHAN Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls have been reorganised to promote nutritional health and well-being of children under six years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. The scheme also focuses on early childhood care and education and upgrading Anganwadi infrastructure through modern Saksham Anganwadis.

In addition, the Ministry of Home Affairs is implementing the project for setting up and strengthening Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) under the Nirbhaya Fund. A total of 827 AHTUs are operational across States, Union Territories, and Border Guarding Forces. To make police stations more accessible and women-friendly, over 14,600 Women Help Desks have been established, most of them headed by women police officers. Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) and the Women Helpline (181) provide nationwide emergency and support services.

Healthcare-related empowerment is addressed through Ayushman Bharat, which offers free treatment through over 1,200 medical packages for more than 55 crore beneficiaries. Of these, over 141 packages are exclusively designed for women. Health screening services, including breast and cervical cancer screening, are provided through more than 1.5 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Social protection is further strengthened through schemes such as the National Social Assistance Programme, Atal Pension Yojana, PMSBY, and PMJJBY.

Several administrative reforms have also been introduced to support single mothers. PAN card rules now allow applicants to list only the mother’s name if she is a single parent, and passport rules have been amended to remove mandatory requirements for the father’s name or marriage/divorce certificates.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana provides deposit-free LPG connections to women from poor households, including widows and single mothers, to promote clean cooking fuel and improve health outcomes. Additionally, public procurement norms mandate that at least 3 per cent of annual procurement by Central Ministries and PSUs be sourced from women-owned micro and small enterprises.

The Ministry of MSME is supporting women entrepreneurs through initiatives such as the Skill Upgradation and Mahila Coir Yojana, PM Vishwakarma Scheme, enhanced credit guarantee coverage for women entrepreneurs, and the Yashasvini awareness campaign. Employment and self-employment opportunities are further supported through schemes like MUDRA, Stand-Up India, Start-up India, PM SVANidhi, PMEGP, and MGNREGS, where women constitute a significant share of beneficiaries.

Together, these initiatives reflect the government’s multi-dimensional approach to empowering women socially, economically, and institutionally, with special focus on vulnerable groups.