As Women's Quota Bill Set To Take Centre Stage, Let's Take A Look At Modi Govt's Schemes For 'Naari Shakti'

The Centre is expected to introduce the women's reservation bill along with a few other bills in the Special Session of Parliament called from September 18 to 22.

"Special Session of Parliament (13th Session of 17th Lok Sabha and 261st Session of Rajya Sabha) is being called from 18th to 22nd September having five sittings. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said on X.

With the stage getting ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP seems to be eyeing to woo the women voters. Just days ago, the Centre slashed the price of cooking LPG gas by Rs 200, which is seen as an attempt to earn the trust of the middle-class and women voters.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has launched several schemes for the welfare of women since coming to power in 2014. Here, we are listing out the BJP-led NDA pro-women programmes.

One Stop Centre and Women Helplines

• Under the Nirbhaya Fund, the Ministry administers the One Stop Centre (OSC) and Universalization of Women Helplines (WHL) schemes.
• OSCs, known as Sakhi Centres, provide integrated services to women affected by violence, including police facilitation, medical aid, legal aid, counselling, and temporary shelter.
• The WHL Scheme offers 24/7 emergency and non-emergency response for women affected by violence, connecting them with relevant authorities and providing rescue and counselling services.
• Women can dial 181 short code to avail services from Women Helpline.

Swadhar Greh Scheme
Implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, Swadhar Greh offers institutional support and rehabilitation to women facing challenging circumstances, enabling them to lead dignified lives.

Ujjawala Scheme
Also a centrally sponsored scheme, Ujjawala focuses on preventing trafficking and the rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration, and repatriation of victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Working Women Hostel
This scheme aims to provide secure accommodation, including daycare facilities for children, in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas with employment opportunities for women.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
Launched to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and empower girls and women across their life cycle, BBBP aims to prevent gender-biased sex selection, and ensure the survival, protection, education, and participation of the girl child.

Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK)
MSK empowers rural women through community participation, fostering the convergence of schemes and programs for women. It is implemented with cost sharing between the Centre and States.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).

PMMVY is a Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme for pregnant and lactating mothers. It provides financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries, promoting nutrition and health-seeking behaviour.

Mission Shakti - Integrated Women Empowerment
Launched as 'Mission Shakti,' this umbrella scheme operates in mission mode to strengthen women's safety, security, and empowerment. It aligns with the vision of 'women-led development,' addressing women's issues across their life cycle through convergence, greater participation, support from local governance bodies, and digital infrastructure enhancements for service delivery tracking.

Sukanya Samriddhi Account: Sukanya Samriddhi Account is a Centre-backed saving scheme targeted at the parents of girl children. The scheme encourages parents to build a fund for the future education of their female child.