Government Schemes for Girl Child

The Government of India has implemented numerous schemes for the overall empowerment and protection of a girl child. These directives oversee many dimensions that concern her life, such as education, health, financial security, and general well-being. Enough attention to the problems of the girl child would, therefore, have the capacity to work on raising gender equality in society, minimizing discrimination against them, and ensuring that society is built on an integrative framework. This paper reviews some important plans in place by the government for the welfare of a girl child in India.

Government Schemes For Girl Child Education

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP)

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was launched on January 22, 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Panipat, Haryana, a state with one of the worst child sex ratios in India at the time. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao represents a significant step towards gender equality in India, aiming to create a supportive environment for the girl child right from birth through to adulthood.

This is a flagshipscheme that was launched in 2015 and it aims to ensure:

1. a) Prevention of gender-biased sexselective elimination
2. b) Ensuring survival and protection of the girl child
3. c) Ensuring education and participation of the girl child

Some of its key features are:

1. a) Awareness campaigns for sociobehavioral change
2. b) Improving efficiency of welfare services for girls
3. c) Multi-sectoral intervention in 100 gender-critical districts

National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education

The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE) was initiated by the Government of India in May 2008. The scheme aims to enhance the enrollment rates of female children aged 14 to 18 years in secondary schools. It provides a one-time incentive of INR 3000 to eligible students and focuses on promoting the enrollment and reducing the dropout rates of girls, particularly those belonging to the SC/ST communities. The scheme is now boarded on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for efficient implementation and management.

The objectives are:

Either enroll girls in secondary schools or reduce dropout rates. 

Key features:

– Fixed deposit of ₹3,000 (one-time)

– Available to girls from ST/SC communities who pass class 8

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme was initiated by the Government of India in August 2004. It was introduced with the purpose of establishing residential schools at the upper primary level for girls predominantly belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and minority communities in educationally backward blocks of the country. The scheme was integrated into the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program to provide schooling facilities up to Class XII.

Aims: The scheme strives to support the educational needs of disadvantaged girl children.

Key features:

– Residential girls’ school in classes 6 to 12

– Educationally backward blocks are targeted

Government Schemes For Girl Child Health and Nutrition

Kishori Shakti Yojana

The Kishori Shakti Yojana was initiated by the Government of India as a redesign of the former Adolescent Girls (AG) scheme under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). The scheme aims to empower adolescent girls and enable them to take charge of their lives by focusing on their health, nutritional, and educational requirements. The specific launch year for the Kishori Shakti Yojana is not explicitly mentioned in the provided search results.

Objectives:

Ensure improvement in nutritional and health status of adolescent girls; Promote awareness about health, hygiene and nutrition.

Key features: Supplementary nutrition; Health check-ups and referral services; Nutrition and health education.

Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)

The Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) was initiated in November 2010. It is a centrally sponsored scheme of the government that targets adolescent girls in the age group of 11 to 14 years. The main objective of the scheme is to provide nutrition to school dropout girls and uplift their nutritional, social, and economic status.

Aims: Empowerment of out of school adolescent girls (11-14 years)

Key features: Provision for Nutrition; Life skill education; Health check-ups and referral services

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) was launched in 2017 as a flagship maternity benefits program of the Government of India. The scheme was introduced by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and is designed to support pregnant women and lactating mothers from socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society
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The PMMVY provides a cash benefit of Rs. 5,000 in instalments to eligible pregnant and lactating women, subject to certain terms and conditions. The scheme aims to ensure that mothers receive proper nutrition and support during pregnancy and lactation. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the PMMVY benefits, which were initially accessible to eligible pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers for their first child, have been extended to the family’s second child, but only if the child is a girl
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The scheme has undergone name changes, with “Indira Gandhi” being dropped from the scheme name in 2014, and “Pradhan Mantri” being added in 2017, making it the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

Objectives:

– Partial wage loss compensation for pregnant and lactating mothers

Key features:

– Cash incentive of ₹5,000 in three installments

– Aims to improve health-seeking behavior of mothers

Government Schemes For Girl Child Financial Security 

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) is a scheme initiated by the Government of India, which was launched on January 22, 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign. The prime aim of the scheme is to encourage parents of a girl child to create a fund for the future education and marriage expenses for their child. The scheme allows for a small deposit and provides income-tax benefits. A Sukanya Samriddhi Account can be opened any time after the birth of a girl until she turns 10. The minimum deposit is Rs 1,000, and the maximum is Rs 1.5 lakh per financial year. The scheme is exclusively for the benefit of the girl child and is aimed at meeting her education and marriage expenses

Aim:

– Promotion of small savings for girl child’s education and marriage expenses

Key features:

– Account can be opened for all girls up to 10 years old

– High interest rate, currently 7.6% p.a. (subject to change)

– Tax benefits under Section 80C

– Maturity period of 21 years from account opening

Balika Samriddhi Yojana

The Balika Samriddhi Yojana (BSY) was initiated in 1997 by the Government of India under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The scheme was launched with the objective of raising the overall status of the girl child and bringing about a positive change in family and community attitudes. It covers girl children born on or after 15th August 1997 in families living below the poverty line as defined by the Government of India. The scheme provides financial aid and support for the birth and education of the girl child, with a focus on families in economically weaker sections of society. The BSY aims to promote the welfare, education, and health of girl children in poor families, and it provides financial assistance to eligible families. The scheme covers both rural and urban areas in all districts of India, and it is a significant initiative for supporting the education and birth of the girl child

Objectives:

– Raise the status of the girl child in society

– Improve enrollment and retention of girls in schools

Key features:

– One-time grant of ₹500 at birth

– Annual scholarships for education from class 1 to 10

Government Schemes For Giel Child Safety

POSCO e-Box

The POSCO e-Box, an initiative of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), was launched to facilitate direct online complaint filing of child sexual abuse. The e-Box can be accessed through the official portal of the NCPCR, where users can register their complaints directly. The initiative was launched by the Women and Child Development minister, Maneka Gandhi, and is aimed at addressing the issue of underreported incidents of child abuse, particularly those involving close relatives. The e-Box is part of a broader effort to provide child-friendly mechanisms for reporting, recording evidence, and investigation under the POCSO Act, 2012.

Aims:

– Provide a safe and anonymous method to report child sexual abuse

Key features:

– Online complaint management system

– Direct reporting to National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Childline (1098)

Childline 1098, India’s only and most widespread children’s phone emergency outreach service, was initiated in 1996 as an experimental project. The initiative was aimed at providing a 24-hour, 365 days a year, free emergency phone service for children in need of care and protection.

Objectives:

– Provide emergency outreach service for children in distress on a 24-hour basis 

Key features:

– Toll-free number accessible all over India

– Immediate assistance and long-term care and rehabilitation services

Government Schemes For Girl Child Skill Development

National Skill Training Institute for Women

The National Skill Training Institute for Women (NSTIW) was initiated to promote women’s employment in the industry, mainly the organized sector, as semi-skilled/skilled and highly skilled workers. The program aims to achieve this by increasing women’s participation in skill training facilities under the Craftsmen Training Scheme, Advanced Skill Training Scheme, and the Apprentices Training Scheme. Additionally, the program offers higher skill training for the instructors of various skill training organizations 

Aims:

– Promote skill development among women and girls 

Key features:

– Various vocational training programs available

– Emphasis on employability, entrepreneurship

Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)

 The Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) scheme was initiated by the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), under the Government of India, in 1986-87 as a Central Sector Scheme. The scheme aims to provide skills that give employability to women and to provide competencies and skills that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.

Objectives:

– To provide skills that give employability to women

– To provide competencies and skills that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs 

Key features:

– Covers sectors like agriculture, horticulture, food processing, handlooms, and traditional crafts 

Impact and Challenges

Positive Impacts:

– Increased awareness about the importance of girl child education

– Improved sex ratio in many states

– Enhanced financial security for girls and their families

Improved health and nutritional outcomes for adolescent girls

Challenges:

– Gaps in implementation at the grassroots level

– In far-flung areas, there is almost nil awareness about schemes

– Cultural and social barriers in certain regions

– Intra-departmental coordination among various government departments is an urgent need

Future Prospects

Digital Integration:

– Technology for better scheme implementation and monitoring has increased manifold

 Focus on Skill Development:

– Focus on building future job market-relevant skills more than what it used to be among girls

 Better Monitoring:

Good data collection and resultant analysis to judge the impact of schemes

Greater Outlay:

More money to be given for the expansion and making the existing schemes effective

Partnerships-Public-Private Sector and NGOs:

Better and effective implementation through tie-up with the private sector and NGOs

Conclusion

The different government schemes for the girl child undertaken by the Government of India thus represent something that will help bridge the gap between genders and bring about a sea of difference in the lives of girls, right from birth during adolescence to adult life; some major concerns of the girl child are taken care of with a view to empowerment: education, health, and financial security.

Though much has been achieved, full implementation and coverage of the most vulnerable groups are replete with numerous challenges. Thus, only sustained efforts backed by enhanced sensitization and responsive policies can realize the complete potential of every girl child in India.

Thus, their positivity will go on to become a decisive factor in the shaping of an equitable society as the country marches ahead. Going further, in investing in the girl child today, the country underpinning a brighter tomorrow, an all-inclusive one for its citizens. The empowerment of girls is definitely social justice; a very significant fact for the comprehensive development and progress of India at the global level.