Page 226 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH

Unit 10: Women's Empowerment

and needy women. However, for the past two years proposals for Agro-based Units were not Notes
considered. Voluntary organisations are encouraged to set up production units. Project proposals
are to be cleared by District Industrial Centres, KVICs, etc., who look into viability of the projects.
A grant is provided by the Central Social Welfare Board to set up a production unit. The grant is
finalised on case-to-case basis subject to a limit of Rs. 3 lakh.
Swayamsiddha
This scheme of Swayamsiddha was launched in March 2001 in 650 blocks (including the 238
erstwhile Indira Mahila Yojana blocks). The vision of Swayamsiddha is to develop empowered
women who will demand their rights from family, community and government, have increased
access to, and control over, material, social and political resources, have enhanced awareness and
improved skills; and are able to raise issues of common concern through mobilisation and
networking.
The immediate objectives of the scheme are establishment of self-reliant women’s Self-Help Groups
(SHGs), creation of confidence and awareness among numbers of SHGs strengthening and
institutionalising the savings habit in rural women and their control over economic resources;
improving access of women to micro credit; involvement of women in local level planning; and
convergence of services of DWCD and other Departments. This scheme will be implemented by
the State Governments through the identified nodal departments and project implementing
agencies.

Swashakti Project
The Swashakti Project (earlier known as Rural Women’s Development and Empowerment Project)
was sanctioned on 16 October, 1998 as a Centrally-sponsored Project for a period of five years
with an estimated outlay of Rs. 186,21 crore. In addition, an amount of Rs. 5 crore is being
provided for setting up of revolving funds in the project states for giving interest bearing loans of
beneficiaries groups primarily during their initial formative stage. The objectives of the project
are: (i) Establishment of more than 16,000 self-reliant women’s Self-Help-Groups (SGHs) having
15-20 members each, which will improve the quality of their lives, through greater access to, and
control over, resources; (ii) Sensitising and strengthening the institutional capacity of support
agencies to pro-actively address women’s needs; (iii) Developing linkages between SHGs and
lending institutions to ensure women’s continued access to credit facilities for income generation
activities; (iv) Enhancing women’s access to resources for better quality of life, including those for
drudgery reduction and time-saving devices; and (v) Increased control of women, particularly
poor women, over income and spending, through their involvement in income generation activities.
The project has since December 2001 expanded in 19 new districts and two states, increasing the
project coverage to 56 districts in the States of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. The project has now accomplished
more than its initial estimate of group formation and has formed approximately 15,800 SHGs in
total. The emphasis is now being on (i) convergence with other Government Schemes; (ii) micro-
enterprise development; (iii) community asset creation; (iv) networking; and (v) credit linkages.
Balika Samridhi Yojana

Balika Samridhi Yojana was launched on 2 October, 1997. The scheme covers up to two girls born
on or after 15 August, 1997, in a family below the poverty line, in rural and urban areas. A grant
of Rs. 500 is given to the mothers of new born girl children. A grant of Rs. 500 will be deposited
in the name of the new born girl in a post office/bank account. The girl will also get scholarship
for each completed year of schooling in Class I to X which will also be deposited in the same
account. The matured value of the account will be paid to the girl on her attaining the age of 18
years and having remained unmarried till then.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 221