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(Articles Covered - Women Empowerment and the Budget 2018-19 (Shahin Razi))
India has been working towards empowering her women ever since independence, and especially since the 1990s. The government and non- government sectors have both been pushing ahead with programmes aimed at imparting education to women, giving them better health care, providing them with means of livelihood and opportunities to participate in the decision making process at home and in the society. Special attention is being paid to improve the lot of the girl child giving her better chances of survival and opportunities for living a life of fulfillment.
The 73rd Amendment to our constitution in 1993 was a major milestone in this direction. The amendment made provision for reservation of seats for scheduled castes and tribes proportionate to their population in the panchayat area. The impact of reserving one third of seats for women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) has been fruitful, and has empowered women both politically and socially. At present, there are approximately 200,000 panchayat representatives in India, out of which around 75,000 are women making it the largest number of elected women in the world.
The Government is considering introducing Womens’ Reservation Bill which seeks to reserve one third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
While reservation in panchayats or Parliament is important, the real challenge is to ensure that women are involved in the decision making process at home, and in the society. The challenge will be to develop their capacity so that they can perform their roles properly. But more than half-a-century after independence, shackles remain tightly bound around women’s feet. It begins at birth as the evidence of female foeticide and gender bias in the richer states of Punjab, Delhi and Haryana shows, sparing neither the villager nor the urban sophisticate
Therefore, Budget 2018-19 has launched various schemes to empower Indian Women:
1. The Prime Minister’s Ujjwala Scheme, under which free LPG connection were given to 50 million people will now be targeted at 80 million poor women. The budget’s pro-women focus is seen in the announcement of a special mission to provide LPG connection in the name of women members of poor households. The government aims to resolve two critical issues through this initiative. First, address the health concern of women, especially those in rural areas who use traditional biomass fuel such as wood, dung or agricultural residues for their daily cooking and second, reduce the existing high levels of indoor pollution. This measure will empower women and protect their health. It will reduce drudgery and the time spent on cooking. It will also provide employment for rural youth in the supply chain of cooking gas. Various studies by government and advocacy groups have revealed that household air pollution is actually responsible for around five lakli deaths in India every year. This will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in a country where traditionally, gas cylinders were considered an upper middle class luxury. The Finance Minister said that though gradually, the luxury is spreading to the middle class, the poor still do not have access to cooking gas. However, the BPL families are now being provided with a cooking gas connection.
2. So far, this was being done with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds of state fuel retailers. While providing the new connections to BPL households, priority would be given to states where coverage is poor. Under the PM’s Saubhagyayoja for providing electricity to all households, the government is spending 160 billion rupees. 19.75 crore rupees have been sanctioned for women safety e.g. for Nirbhaya Fund. Rs. 75,000 crore rupees will be provided as loans to Women Self Help Groups till March, 2019.
3. For organic farming, Women Self Help Groups will be given loan and encouragement for their ventures.
4. A new Gold Policy is in the anvil whereby women can deposit their gold in the bank and earn interest in the range of 2.25 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
5. For women employees their contribution to EPF has been cut from 12 per cent to 8 per cent for first three years. There will be no change in employer’s contribution.
6. Six months maternity leave with full salary will be given to women employees. The Department of Personnel and Training has instructed all ministries and departments to implement a 2015 order of the Delhi High Court for granting maternity leave to women employees who choose to have a child by commissioning a surrogacy. Such leave would include the pre-natal and postnatal period.
7. Rs.24 crores have been sanctioned for National Women’s Commission.
8. 20 million new toilets will be constructed under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission. This will have a positive impact on women’s dignity, girl’s education and overall health of the family,
9. Rs. 280 crores have been provided for ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ programme. ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ is another social campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls. The scheme has been launched with an initial funding of Rs. 100 crores. Women upliftment is nearly impossible if issues like illiteracy, inequality, sexual harassment and female infanticide are not combated in the right manner. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is a collaborative initiative being run by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and it covers all Indian States and Union Territories. This flagship scheme was launched in the year 2015. The scheme has three primary objectives:
10. Sukanya Samridhi Yojana is a small deposit scheme for the girl child launched as part of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign by the Government of India. It is meant exclusively for a girl child. The scheme is meant to meet the education and marriage expenses of a girl child. The scheme offers 9.1 per cent tax free rate of interest which is compounded annually. A legal guardian/natural guardian can open an account in the name of the girl child. The account can be closed after completion of 21 years. Normal premature closure will be allowed after completion of 18 years provided that girl is married.
11. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana (PMJJBY) has benefitted 5.22 crore families with a life insurance cover of Rs.2 Iakh on payment of a premium of only Rs.330/- per annum. Likewise, under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, 13 crore 25 lakh persons have been insured with personal accident cover of Rs.2 lakh on payment of a premium of only Rs. 12 per annum.
By: Deepak Hooda ProfileResourcesReport error
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