G20 alliance for empowerment and progression of women's economic representation

The Government of India has launched ‘Mission Shakti’, an Integrated Women Empowerment Programme, as Umbrella Scheme for the Safety, Security and Empowerment of Women for implementation during 2021-22 to 2025-26. It aims at strengthening interventions for safety, security and empowerment of women in a mission mode through institutional and convergence mechanism. Mission Shakti seeks to realise the Government’s vision for ‘women-led development’ by addressing issues affecting women across the life-cycle continuum, while making them equal partners in nation-building through convergence across Ministries/ Departments and different levels of governance, greater participation and support of Rural Local Bodies and other local self governance bodies and Jan Sahabhagita (People’s participation), while also strengthening digital infrastructure for last mile tracking of service delivery.

The components of Mission Shakti have been designed in such a way that it takes care of the women’s need on life cycle continuum basis. Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’. While the “Sambal” sub-scheme is for safety and security of women, the “Samarthya” sub-scheme is for empowerment of women. The component-wise details are as under:

(A) Sambal – for safety and security of women:-

i) One Stop Centres (OSCs) provide integrated services like legal counselling and help, psycho-social counselling and support, providing information about help and facilities available for women etc. under one roof. 801 OSCs are already sanctioned and 730 OSCs have been operationalized in the country. These are proposed to continue as the mainstay of the ‘Sambal’ sub-scheme at the district level. Under Mission Shakti, 300 more OSCs will be opened in districts with large geographical area. OSCs, along with District Hubs for Empowerment of Women (DHEW), will be developed as the mainstay and the key convergence and coordination points for matters pertaining to women in their respective districts. OSCs have assisted over 622 thousand women up to September, 2022

ii) Women Helplines (181-WHL) are already running on telephonic short-code181-WHL in 34 States/ Union Territories as an emergency/non-emergency response system on a toll-free telephonic short code 181. They work in tandem with OSCs and connect to various institutional setups for safety and security of women. Under Mission Shakti, the WHLs will be integrated with ERSS (112) set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs for emergency like fire and ambulence, rescue and police support related services, as well as with OSCs and other helplines for providing services like legal counselling and help, psycho-social counselling and support, providing information about help and facilities available for women etc. and other existing helplines/ institutions. Their linkages with other helplines will also be strengthened. Most importantly, WHLs, alongwith State Hubs for Empowerment of Women (SHEW), will be developed as the mainstay and the key convergence and coordination points for matters pertaining to women in their respective States/ UTs. WHLs have handled over 8.2 million calls upto September, 2022.

iii) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) is the clarion call of Hon’ble Prime Minister for social, cultural and mindset change for safety, empowerment and dignity of women and girls from a lifecycle continuum perspective. It will be the main initiative for behavioural and mindset change. It is being expanded to cover all districts of the nation and upscaled so as to be the main initiative for behavioural and mindset change. Under BBBP, convergence with skill development programmes is also envisaged.

iv) Nari Adalat - A new sub-component for providing women with an alternate grievance redressal mechanism though a women collective comprising of 7 – 11 socially respectable women of the local community for resolving cases of petty nature such as harassment, subversion, curtailment of rights or entitlements etc.

(B) Samarthya – for empowerment of women

i) Shakti Sadan is the main schematic set up providing homes and institutional support for empowerment of women facing destitution of any kind, including through recovery, rehabilitation, repatriation and reintegration of such women, including women victims of trafficking. The existing schemes of Swadhar Greh (for women in difficult circumstances) and Ujjawala (for prevention/ rescue/ rehabilitation/ repatriation of trafficked women) has been integrated into the component of Shakti Sadans, including integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Homes and related matters for women.

ii) Sakhi Niwas are to provide safe and secure place for stay for working women in the cities and the areas having job potential. The existing scheme of Working Women Hostels (WWH) has been renamed as Sakhi Niwas and to be expanded geographically as well as in terms of users (viz. single women, women whose family members do not reside in the area, girls pursuing higher education or undergoing training etc.) in a manner which is responsive to the needs of working women. 50 new hostels will be operationalized under the Mission to run on rental model, responding to demands and locational requirements of working, rather than on building construction. Children of working mothers i.e. girls upto the age of 18 years and boys upto the age of 12 years shall also be permitted to live with their mothers in Sakhi Niwas

iii) Palna (erstwhile scheme of National Creche Scheme) is meant to provide safe and secure place for children of working women so as to act as a catalyst for enhancing Female Labour Force Participation. It is to be upscaled and expanded so as to act as a catalyst for enhancing Female Labour Force Participation.

iv) Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) – The scheme mainly aims to compensate for loss of wages due to pregnancy and childbirth. It would also contribute in better care of pregnant women, lactating mothers and the newborn. Earlier scheme use to cover only one child. Now, the scheme has been modified so as to cover the second child born to a woman, provided that such second child is a girl and with higher rate of incentive. Providing details of husband for getting benefit under the scheme, has also been discontinued.

v) A National Hub for Empowerment of Women (NHEW), State Hubs for Empowerment of Women (SHEW) and District Hubs for Empowerment of Women (DHEW) are envisaged for (i) drilling down effective delivery, implementation, monitoring and feedback for all components of Mission Shakti; (ii) convergence of all schemes and initiatives of central and state governments for enhanced results for empowerment, security and safety of women, (iii) research, publication, gender budgeting etc.; (iv) gap funding for empowerment of women. At national level ‘Centre of Excellence for Women’ to be a repository of knowledge and to facilitate research and innovation in the field of women empowerment and for monitoring for Gender Budgting will be part of NHEW.

The National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which have been under the Umbrella ICDS Scheme till now, are also brought under Samarthya. A flexi-fund is kept with the National Hub for Empowerment of Women (NHEW) under Mission Shakti, for meeting unforeseen requirements regarding the sub-schemes and components of Mission Shakti, as well as for critical gap funding for safety, wellbeing, empowerment and progress of women and girls (where necessitated due to non-availability of funds for these purposes from other schemes or sources) in a flexible and responsive manner.

Further, as part of the Gender Budgeting, Research and Innovation activities, a National Data Centre for Women is to be set up as a repository of knowledge and to facilitate research and innovation in the field of women empowerment. These activities will be subsumed in the component of NHEW for research and analysis on women’s issues etc.

As a woman transits through various stages of her life, (birth, infancy, adolescence, youth, motherhood, old age) the Mission seeks to provide an integrated framework in convergence with other missions of the Ministry, including Missions Vatsalya and Poshan 2.0 so that girls and women are protected, enabled and empowered.

PMMVY helping women in Kottayam, Kerala

PMMVY helping women in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

Sakhi, the one stop centre and Women's true companion