Parliament Question: Schemes for Unmarried Women

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1149 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.07.2025 SCHEMES FOR UNMARRIED WOMEN †1149. SHRI DAROGA PRASAD SAROJ: Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state: (a) the details of the schemes being implemented by the Government for the upliftment of women including the unmarried ones at present; (b) whether the Government has provided any kind of financial assistance or introduced any scheme related to education or employment of unmarried women of Uttar Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; (c) the manner in which the said schemes are being implemented by the Government along with the impact of said schemes in said State; and (d) whether the Government has focused on social and mental development of the women under the said schemes and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (d): There are a number of schemes being implemented by various Ministries/ Departments of the Government of India across the country for social and economic empowerment of women, including unmarried women in the State of Uttar Pradesh. The major schemes/ programmes of Government of India in this regard are as follows:- The Ministry of Women and Child Development during the 15th Finance Commission period with effect from the financial year 2022-23, is implementing Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the country for the welfare of women and children, which are placed under three verticals, viz. (1) Mission Shakti, for safety, protection and empowerment of women; (2) Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 for improving nutrition & health indicators in the country; and (3) Mission Vatsalya, for protection and welfare of children in difficult circumstances. The details of the schemes are as under:(i) Mission Shakti: The ‘Mission Shakti’ aims at strengthening interventions for women safety, security and empowerment. It comprises of two verticals ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’ for safety and security of women and empowerment of women respectively. The “Sambal” vertical is for safety and security of women and the key components namely, One Stop Centres (OSCs) which is an institution located at district level offering under one roof immediate help to women in distress such as temporary shelter, medical & police assistance, counselling and legal support, the Women Helpline (WHL) 181 provides toll- free 24-hours telecom service to women seeking support and information. The “Samarthya” vertical is for the empowerment of women. Shakti Sadan is an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for women in distress situations and difficult circumstances including trafficked women. Sakhi Niwas (Working Women Hostel) that aims to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women in urban, semi-urban and even rural areas where employment opportunity for women exist. The SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) serves as a vehicle to bridge the information and knowledge gap regarding schemes and facilities available for women. (ii) The schemes like Samagra Shiksha, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Babu Jagjeevan Ram Chhatravas Yojana, Eklavya Model Residential Schools and various scholarship schemes including pre-matric, post-matric and scholarship for higher education and fellowship as well as e-learning platforms like ‘National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology’ (NMEICT) Scheme, SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), SWAYAM PRABHA, National Digital Library (NDL), Virtual Lab, e-Yantra, PM e-Vidya, NEAT (National Education Alliance for Technology) etc have been implemented for ensuring affordable and quality education for all including unmarried women. (iii) Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) have been implemented to provide social protection through insurance coverage and pension. (iv) Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) that helped a large number of citizens belonging to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Household (PHH) beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic has been continued for about 81.35 crore beneficiaries for a period of next five years with effect from 1st January, 2024. (v) In order to reduce drudgery and enhance the ease of living for the women particularly in the rural areas, under the Swacch Bharat Mission more than 11.8 crore toilets have been constructed, 10.3 crore households have been provided Clean cooking fuel through Ujjawala Yojana and safe and potable tap water connection to nearly 15.6 crore households through Jal Jeevan Mission. (vi) Prime Minister Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) aim to provide ‘Housing for All’ through provision of pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless families and households living in kutcha and dilapidatedhouse in rural areas and the housing requirement of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) including slum dwellers in the urban areas. (vii) Under Ayushman Bharat, the Government is providing free of cost treatment through over 1200 medical packages to over 55 crore citizens. Out of these, over 141 medical packages are exclusively designed for addressing medical needs of women. Seven types of screening (TB, Hypertension, Diabetes, Oral Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer and Cataract) are provided under the scheme, which have benefitted crores of women. There are over 150,000 Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), also referred to as Ayushman Arogya Mandir, in both urban and rural areas, bring health care closer to the community. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY) is the world’s largest public funded health assurance scheme, with special focus on poor and disadvantaged women. (viii) There are over 16,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) functional across the country. The PMBJK besides providing affordable medicines and medical devices, including about 40 women specific items also have provision for sale of Sanitary Napkins named ‘Suvidha Sanitary Napkins’ at extremely affordable price of Rupee 1 per pad. (ix) Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY), skill and vocational training is provided to women. (x) Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) provides digital literacy to rural populations. (xi) Women are also the largest beneficiaries under Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojna (PM- JDY) one of the largest financial inclusion initiatives in the world which also provides access to direct benefits under various welfare schemes, credit and insurance services. (xii) Stand Up India and MUDRA Yojana facilitate bank loans and entrepreneurial activities and have majorly benefitted women entrepreneurs. (xiii) Schemes such as Start-up India, Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGMSE) provides employment/ self-employment and credit facilities. Majority of the beneficiaries under these schemes are women. (xiv) Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY), a sub-component of Coir Vikas Yojana, is a 100% women oriented and intensive two-month training programme which aims to provide training to rural women engaged in the coir sector, on sophisticated machinery/ advanced technology in order to upscale their living standards and thereby attain self-sustainable employment. *****