The Ministry of Women and Child Development recently established comprehensive guidelines for the ‘Mission Shakti’ scheme, which will take effect from April 1, 2022. This scheme emerged during the 15th Finance Commission period of 2021 to 2026, and it’s designed to be an all-encompassing approach to women’s empowerment, safety, and security.
About Mission Shakti
Mission Shakti is a novel, unified programme that addresses the need for women’s safety, security, and empowerment. Two main components constitute this initiative: Sambal and Samarthya.
Sambal: Safety and Security for Women
Sambal focuses on ensuring women’s safety and security. The programme comprises different schemes such as the One Stop Centre (OSC), Women Helpline (WHL), and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP). Additionally, it introduces a new component called Nari Adalats. These women-driven collectives aim to encourage and navigate alternative dispute resolution and uphold gender justice in society and within families.
Samarthya: Empowering Women
Samarthya is concentrated on empowering women. It has absorbed former programmes like Ujjwala, Swadhar Greh, and Working Women Hostel with certain modifications. Established schemes like the National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) under the umbrella Integrated Child Development Services ICDS have now been incorporated into Samarthya. Additionally, Gap Funding for Economic Empowerment is a newly added element in Samarthya Scheme.
Services and Activities Included in Mission Shakti
Emergency/ Immediate services & short-term care: This involves the provision of a national toll-free number and integrated services such as temporary shelter, legal aid, counselling, medical assistance and police facilitation through One Stop Centres.
Institutional Care for long-term support: Mission Shakti caters to women’s needs from conception and onwards, providing support when necessary. SakhiNiwas or Working Women Hostel will offer a secure place for working women.
Behavioural Change Communication: Activities for promoting dignity, preventing crime, and reducing violence against women. This includes large scale awareness programs, community engagement for gender sensitisation, and partnerships with boys and men to combat violence against women and challenge gender stereotypes.
Objectives of Mission Shakti
Mission Shakti aims to provide comprehensive support to women affected by violence and those in distress. It seeks to implement quality mechanisms for the rescue, protection, and rehabilitation of women in need.
The scheme also aims to improve accessibility to government services for women at all levels and enhance public awareness of government schemes and legal provisions against societal evils like dowry, domestic violence, and sexual harassment at workplaces.
Mission Shakti collaborates with multiple Ministries/Departments/States/UTs to align policies and programmes, creating an environment conducive to public-private partnerships for women’s safety and empowerment across sectors.
The goal is also to prevent gender-biased sex selective elimination and promote the survival, protection, education and development of the girl child. The aim is to alleviate the care burden on women, boost female labour force participation and promote skill development, capacity building, financial literacy, and access to microcredit.
