Chapter: Gist of Press Information Bureau Articles

Topic: In Pursuit of Increasing Employment & Employability of Women

Q.  What are the programmes running for increasing employment and employability of women?

The Government has introduced a number of flagship programmes to enhance employment and income opportunities for poor people with special targets for women. Some of the key initiatives are as follows:

• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ha s been enacted to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing 100 days of assured employment to every household. It mandates that at least 30 per cent beneficiaries are to be women.

• The Sampoorna Grameen Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) in rural areas is a holistic livelihood programme focused on SHGs of households below the poverty line. This is now subsumed under the National Rural Livelihood Mission.

• The Sampoorna Grameen Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) an employment generation - programme implemented in urban areas earmarks 30 per cent of labour opportunities for women. Under this, Urban Women Self Help Programme (UWSP) stipulates a minimum of five women to form a Self Help Group for setting up gainful group enterprise with bank linkage.

• A subsidy of Rs.3.00 lakhs of 35% of the cost of the project or Rs.60, 000/- per member of the group, whichever is less, is released with the balance coming from bank loan and margin money. Revolving fund assistance is also provided to Thrift & Credit Societies (T&CS) at the rate of Rs.2, 000/- per member subject to a ceiling of Rs.25,000/- per T&CS.

• The Self Help Groups (SHGs) – Bank linkage programme of NABARD is aimed at financial inclusion by extending outreach to poor households in rural areas, making credit services ava i la ble a t t h e ir door st e p o n a su sta in a ble ba sis. Th e M icro E n te rp rise Development Programme of NABARD is aimed at enhancing capacity of members of SHGs through skill upgradation in farm and non-farm sector.

• Mahila Samriddhi Yojana (MSY)/Mahila Kisan Yojana (MKY) : National Scheduled Caste Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) introduced MSY in 2003-04 to provide loans upto Rs.25,000/- per unit at a concessional unit rate of 4% per annum with a repayment period of three years for SC women, which was enhanced to a loan ceiling of Rs.30,000/- from 2006-07. Similarly, NSFDC launched MKY with effect from 1.5.2008 to provide term loans upto Rs.50, 000/- at 5% per annum interest rate to SC women for income generating ventures in agriculture and allied activities.

• The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) provides quality health care for women, with provision for institutional deliveries to reduce MMR and IMR. RCH-II is a comprehensive flagship programme under NRHM which aims to reduce social and geographical disparities in access to, and utilization of quality reproductive and child health services.

• The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (Education for All Campaign) launched in 2001-02 is a National Programme for universalisation of elementary education, which has a special focus on girls’ education and aims to target the ‘hardest to reach’ girls through residential schools, mid day meals and other incentives.

• The National Literacy Mission or Saakshar Bharat Mission, with its objective of extending educational options to those adults who have no access to formal education, emphasizes on female literacy as a critical instrument for women’s empowerment. The Mission aims to target 70 million adults in the next five years, out of which 60 million will be women.

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