Government calls for early implementation of Women Empowerment Schemes
New Delhi:The Centre has urged the State Governments to expedite and effectively implement Economic and Social Empowerment
Schemes for the Women. Inaugurating the State Ministers' meet to review women
and child development programmes here today, Union Minister for Women Child Development
Krishna Tirath said: "Important legislations on women should be closely monitored
and efforts should be made for improvement in the schemes, if required." "Women
and children issues are being given top priority by the Government. Several programmes
for women are being implemented to address their varied needs, schemes to provide
skill development for income generation, micro-credit and awareness generation
and child protection is on the top of the agenda of the Government," she added.
Highlighting the role of women in society, she said that protection of women from
domestic violence is very important to ensure her contribution to the progress
of the nation. "The Prevention from Domestic Violence Act should be implemented
with the same intention and spirit in which it was enacted," she said. Expressing
concern over declining female sex ratio, she said it is leading to imbalance feature.
Hence there is need for strict and effective implementation of the PNDT Act. "The
high rate of infant mortality in the country needs to be attended with top most
priority and practices for safe delivery and medical care of infants should be
promoted," she added. Stressing the need of nutrition support for the children,
the Minister said that the Ministry is in the process of launching new schemes
like the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and the Conditional
Maternity benefit Scheme for women. The schemes are named as 'Sabla' and 'Indira
Gandhi Matratava Sehyog Yojana' respectively. She also said that efforts are being
made to reach rural women through Swayamsiddha and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh. Urging
States to expedite universalisation of the 'Integrated Child Development Services'
(ICDS), she said the Centre has expanded the scheme by bringing the number of
Anganwadis to 14 lakhs with enhanced budget, increased honoraria for Anganwadi
workers and improved financial norms.
