New Measures to Empower Girl Children

The Government of India has reiterated its strong commitment to the safety, security and empowerment of girl children through a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy encompassing education, health, financial inclusion and skill development. Under the umbrella programme Mission Shakti, comprising the “Sambal’’ and “Samarthya’’ verticals, the Government is implementing initiatives such as One Stop Centres, Women Helpline, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), Nari Adalat, Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Palna and SANKALP–Hub for Empowerment of Women. While BBBP continues to drive behavioural change and improve the Child Sex Ratio by turning into a nationwide movement, PMMVY incentivizes positive attitudes towards the girl child by offering financial assistance to pregnant and lactating mothers, including an additional benefit for the second child if she is a girl. Schemes like Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana and Samagra Shiksha strengthen financial security and inclusive school education, complemented by the construction of over 11.99 crore toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission to improve ease of living, particularly for girls in rural areas. Residential education support is being extended through the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya scheme, while adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the Northeast are reached under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. Programmes such as Vigyan Jyoti encourage girls to pursue STEM education through academic support, counselling and exposure visits. For economic empowerment, the Government is expanding opportunities through the Skill India Mission, PMKVY and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras, with PMKVY 4.0 giving special priority to women-centric training projects. Women’s participation in livelihood generation is further bolstered through DAY-NRLM, NULM, Stand-Up India, Start-Up India, PM SVANidhi and MGNREGS, where a significant proportion of beneficiaries are women. These details were shared by Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur in the Rajya Sabha.