The Government gives utmost priority to the safety, security and empowerment of all girl children and has adopted multi-pronged approach to address their educational, social and economic empowerment.

The Government of India has launched 'Mission Shakti' – an integrated women empowerment programme as an umbrella scheme for the safety, security, and empowerment of women, implemented during the 15th Finance Commission period. Mission Shakti has two verticals namely "Sambal" for safety and security of women and "Samarthya" for empowerment of women. The ‘Sambal’ has components of One Stop Centre (OSC), Women Helpline (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) and Nari Adalat. The ‘Samarthya' has components of Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Palna and SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (SANKALP: HEW).

As part of the Sambal vertical, BBBP, launched in 2015, helps to address Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and attendant issue of empowerment of girls and women. BBBP tries to create mindset and behavioural changes towards the girl child by informing, influencing, motivating, engaging, and empowering various stakeholders. BBBP has transformed from a policy initiative into a national movement by mobilizing various stakeholders, including government agencies, media, civil society, and the public at large. This movement aims not only to address immediate concerns related to sex ratio and gender-based discrimination but also to foster a cultural shift towards valuing the girl child and ensuring her rights and opportunities.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a Centrally Sponsored Maternity Benefit Scheme for improving the health seeking behaviour of Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) and their new born children. Under the scheme, ₹5,000/- is provided directly to the beneficiary for first child. The scheme seeks to promote positive behavioural change towards girl child by providing cash incentive of Rs. 6000/- for the second child, subject to the second child being a girl.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) is a small savings scheme designed to secure the future of girl children, offering a high interest rate. Samagra Shiksha is an integrated scheme for school education from pre-school to class XII, supporting the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and the Right to Education Act, 2009. It emphasizes early childhood care and education, foundational literacy and numeracy, a holistic and inclusive curriculum, enhancing learning outcomes, bridging social and gender gaps, and ensuring equity and inclusion at all education levels. In order to enhance the ease of living for the girl child, particularly in the rural areas of the country, under the Swacch Bharat Mission more than 11.99 crore toilets have been constructed.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme seeks to bridge gender and social category gaps in school education by providing residential schooling facilities for girls up to Class XII. Under the scheme, the girls in the age group of 10-18 years from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC), minority communities, and BPL families are covered.

The Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) has been subsumed under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 w.e.f. 01.04.2022. The targeted beneficiaries under this scheme are girls in the age group of 14 – 18 years in the Aspirational Districts and all North Eastern States.

Vigyan Jyoti Programme encourages girls to pursue education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields to improve gender balance. It targets meritorious girls from Class IX to Class XII and includes student-parent counselling, career counselling, additional academic support classes, tinkering activities, special lectures, visits to scientific institutions, labs, industries, and science camps and workshops.

With the objective of ensuring economic independence for girls, including single girl child, the Government has launched the Skill India Mission to provide comprehensive skill development and vocational training. Government has also set up the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) across the country. Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, skill and vocational training is provided to women.

Further, PMKVY 4.0 prioritizes and provides special focus to projects that emphasize women as primary beneficiaries. This inclusive approach ensures significant representation and benefit for women in skill training programs across the country.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), under which women self-help groups are changing the rural landscape for employment and self-employment. Similarly, National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) is for urban areas. Besides, there are schemes like the Stand-up India, Start-up India, Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), for providing employment/ self-employment and credit facilities. Majority of the beneficiaries under these schemes are women.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question today

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