Government Schemes for Women: The Central Government is implementing several ambitious schemes to empower women in the country economically, socially, and educationally. The primary objective of these schemes goes beyond merely providing financial assistance; the aim is to make women self-reliant. Additionally, these initiatives seek to create self-employment opportunities, promote education, and provide safe housing.
In recent years, the government has launched numerous schemes centred on women’s empowerment, benefiting millions of women across the nation. Key initiatives include the PM Mudra Scheme, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission, Lakhpati Didi Scheme, Namo Drone Didi Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, and the PM Awas Yojana. Women are deriving significant benefits through these programs.
PM Mudra Yojana (PMMY)
The PM Mudra Scheme is a vital initiative launched for entrepreneurs and individuals looking to start their own businesses. Women stand to gain significantly from this scheme, as it allows them to start businesses without the need for collateral (guarantee). Women wishing to venture into fields such as tailoring and embroidery, beauty parlours, grocery stores, animal husbandry, dairy farming, online businesses, food processing, mobile repairing, bakeries, tiffin services, or readymade garments can obtain bank loans under this scheme.
PM Mudra Yojana
The objective of the PM Mudra Yojana is to encourage women to pursue self-employment. It provides financial assistance for starting small businesses, helps increase the number of women entrepreneurs, creates new employment opportunities, and fosters economic self-reliance among women.
Loan Amount
Loans of up to ₹10 lakh are provided under the PM Mudra Scheme. The loans are categorised into three tiers. The first is the ‘Shishu’ category, under which an applicant can receive a loan of up to ₹50,000 to start a new business. The second is the ‘Kishor’ category, offering loans ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh. Under the third category—the ‘Tarun’ category—applicants are provided loans ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
Key benefits for women
Under this scheme, women are granted loans without the need for any collateral (guarantee). The loan application process is also simplified. The scheme offers opportunities for self-employment and fosters financial self-reliance. It enables women to increase their family income.
Women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs)
Self-Help Groups play a crucial role in economically empowering rural women. The Central Government encourages lakhs of women’s SHGs through the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM). In these groups, women practice regular savings, conduct collective economic activities, and access credit by connecting with the banking system. The objectives of DAY-NRLM are to increase the income of rural women, alleviate poverty, promote collective enterprises, and transform women into entrepreneurs.
Bank loan facilities
This scheme facilitates easy bank loans at low interest rates and provides financial assistance for business expansion to women’s SHGs. This enables women to start small businesses and engage in activities such as tailoring, dairy farming, animal husbandry, mushroom cultivation, incense stick (agarbatti) making, handicrafts, spice processing, beekeeping, and other income-generating ventures.
Lakhpati Didi Yojana
The ‘Lakhpati Didi Yojana’ is a significant scheme launched to economically empower women. Its objective is to help women associated with SHGs increase their annual income to at least ₹1 lakh or more. The scheme aims to boost women’s income and encourage rural women to start their own enterprises.
In which areas is training provided?
Under this scheme, women receive training in specific fields. These include tailoring and fashion designing, dairy farming, animal husbandry, beekeeping, food processing, the manufacture of pickles, papads, and spices, digital services, e-commerce, handicrafts, and agro-based industries.
Namo Drone Didi Scheme
The government has launched the Namo Drone Didi Scheme to promote modern technology in the agricultural sector. The scheme aims to link women’s self-help groups with drone technology, enabling them to earn additional income through agricultural services. Its key objectives are to connect women with modern technology, increase the use of drones in agriculture, and provide technical training to rural women.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Campaign
‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) is a significant social campaign by the central government. It aims not only to enhance the education of daughters but also to foster a positive mindset towards them in society. The campaign seeks to ensure the safety of daughters, curb female foeticide and gender discrimination, promote girls’ education, and encourage the birth of daughters.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G)
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin is being implemented with the objective of providing *pucca* (permanent) houses to poor families in rural areas. A key feature of this scheme is that the ownership of the house is vested in the name of the woman or jointly in the names of the husband and wife. The scheme aims to provide permanent housing to all eligible families, grant property rights to women, and enhance the social security of rural households.
Conclusion
Schemes run by the Central Government to make women self-reliant and empowered are playing a significant role in fostering economic growth, social security, and skill development. These initiatives include providing loans without substantial collateral to start businesses under the PM Mudra Yojana, facilitating easy bank finance for Self-Help Groups, offering training and support to boost income through the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, creating modern technological opportunities via the Namo Drone Didi Yojana, promoting education and awareness through the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, and providing permanent houses in the name of women—or jointly—under the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin).