Capacity Building Programme

The Government of India has taken various steps to ensure empowerment of women through their social, educational, economic and political uplifting through various schematic interventions in the country including Rajasthan. The schemes implemented by the Government like Samagra Shiksha, Scheme of National Overseas Scholarship, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojna, Swacch Vidyalaya Mission, etc. promote girl’s education especially for vulnerable sections of society and have adequate facilities in place to fulfill their special requirements. Under the Swacch Vidyalaya Mission, it was ensured that all schools have at least one functional toilet for girls. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) aims to safeguard the health of women by providing them with clean cooking fuel and also from drudgery of collecting firewood.

Further, the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 prioritises gender equity and envisions ensuring equitable access to quality education to all students, with a special emphasis on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs).

In order to enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training Institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. To ensure economic independence of women through skill development and vocational training, the Government has also introduced Skill India Mission. The National Skill Development Policy focuses on inclusive skill development, with the objective of increased women participation for better economic productivity. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendras lay emphasis on creating additional infrastructure both for training and apprenticeship for women; flexible training delivery mechanisms, flexible afternoon batches on local need-based training to accommodate women; and ensuring safe and gender sensitive training environment, employment of women trainers, equity in remuneration, and complaint redressal mechanism. There are schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Stand Up India, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), for helping the women to set up their own enterprise.

The Ministry of Rural Development under Government of India has also decided to set up one Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) in each District of the country. RSETIs are Bank led initiative involving active support of the Government of India and the State Governments. The Government is also undertaking a placement-linked Skill Development Program called Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) for rural poor youth. DDU-GKY is undertaken as PPP Project through Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) registered with the Ministry of Rural Development. PIAs take up skill training of rural poor youth in the training centres established by them.

The above schemes/ programmes are aimed at benefiting all the women and girls including those in rural areas. Further, the schemes/ programmes are implemented by various Ministries/ Departments and hence the estimated funds allocated under the aforesaid schemes/ programmes are maintained by the respective Ministries/ Departments.

In order to encourage employment of women, a number of enabling provisions have been incorporated in the recently enacted Labour Codes viz. the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020 for creating congenial work environment for women workers.

Further, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) undertakes training and capacity building programmes and awareness exercises on the issues related to women and children from time to time through its associated institutions / organisations such as National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), National Commission for Women (NCW), the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) with respect to field functionaries working under various schemes and programmes administered by the Ministry. Recently, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has initiated a training and capacity building program for women in dairy farming to improve the viability of women-led dairy organisations/ farmers.

The Ministry has engaged the services of NIMHANS for providing basic and advanced training under the project named ‘Stree Manoraksha’ to the staff of One Stop Centres (OSCs) across the country, including Rajasthan, on handling psycho-social and mental health care needs to support the women.

In addition, Ministry of Women & Child Development also issues advisories from time to time to State/UTs to organize regular trainings and meetings of all agencies in order to strengthen the capacities and facilitate inter-agency coordination of the field functionaries of women centric schemes and legislations administered by the Ministry.

The Government of India has also decided to implement the Umbrella Scheme for Safety, Security and Empowerment of Women as an integrated women empowerment program under the name ‘Mission Shakti’, for addressing the issues of women on a life-cycle continuum basis and for making them equal partners in nation-building through convergence at different levels of governance and a participative approach.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

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