The process of developing a sense of autonomy and self-confidence and acting individually and collectively to change social relationships as well as the institutions and discourses that exclude poor people and keep them in poverty is referred to as social empowerment. Individual assets, such as land, housing, livestock, and savings, as well as capabilities of all types, including human (such as good health and education), social (such as social belonging, a sense of identity, and leadership relations), and psychological, have a significant impact on poor people’s empowerment and their ability to hold others accountable (self-esteem, self-confidence, the ability to imagine and aspire to a better future).
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign was initiated on January 22, 2015, by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. It is a national initiative that is jointly run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and its goal is to address the issue of the declining child sex ratio image (CSR).
Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana
The government of India administers this maternity benefit programme for its citizens. It was first implemented in the year 2016, and the Ministry of Women and Child Development is in charge of its operation. It is a conditional cash transfer programme for pregnant and nursing women who are at least 19 years old and experiencing their first live birth as a result of the programme. It provides conditions for safe delivery as well as good nutrition and feeding practises and compensates women for a portion of the wages they lose while caring for their children during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early years of their child’s life.
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
It is a savings programme that is backed by the government of India and is geared toward the parents of girl children. The programme encourages parents to set money aside for their daughters’ future education as well as for the costs associated with getting married. As part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the programme on January 22, 2015, and it was a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign.
One-Stop Centre Scheme
The scheme, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, intends to provide assistance to women who have been affected by violence in either a public or private setting, either within a family or at their place of employment, or anywhere else. Beneficiaries are provided with access to various specialised services offered at the centre.
Poor and marginalised sections of society are given more power through social empowerment.
For people who live in poverty and are marginalised, empowerment means having access to basic education, means of subsistence, and equal opportunities for advancement.
The following is a list of some of the actions that the government has taken to address this segment of society.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
It is a financial inclusion programme of the Government of India open to Indian citizens (minors of age 10 and older can also open an account with a guardian to manage it), and its goal is to expand affordable access to financial services such as bank accounts, remittances, credit, insurance, and pensions. The programme is open to Indian citizens who are at least 10 years old. On August 28, 2014, the launch of this campaign for financial inclusion took place.
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana
Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, any Indian citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm sector income generating activity such as manufacturing, processing, trading, or service sector and whose credit need is less than Rs. 10 lakh can approach either a bank, a microfinance institution (MFI), or a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in order to obtain Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) loans. These (PMMY).
Skill India Mission
On July 15, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the Skill India Mission with the goal of educating more than 40 crore people in India in a variety of skills by the year 2022. The National Skills Development Corporation of India is in charge of its administration. In order to further the Skill India Programme, India has partnered with the United Kingdom (UK), Japan, and Oracle.
Educational Grants and Scholarship Programs
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment allocates a significant portion of its budget to scholarships in order to achieve its objective of enhancing the educational opportunities available to members of the SC population. To date, there has been a good deal of success in the administration of these funds within the population that is the focus of this initiative. The Post-Matric Scholarship, or PMS-SC for short, has been available to students from scheduled castes in India since 1944.
Social Empowerment – Senior Citizens
During the later years of their lives, a significant number of senior citizens have the experience of being ignored and unwanted. They are now able to live a self-sufficient and respectable life thanks to the steps that have been taken by the government on their behalf. The following is a list of some of the programmes that are available to senior citizens.
Atal Pension Yojana
It is a pension scheme in India that is supported by the government and is primarily geared toward the unorganised sector. When they reach the age of 60, all workers who have subscribed to the plan and are younger than 40 years old are qualified to receive a pension of up to 5,000 euros per month.
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana
It is a programme that offers senior citizens who fall into the BPL category the opportunity to receive Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices through the government. This is a programme that the Central Government is funding entirely on its own. The “Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund” is where the money to cover the costs of putting the plan into action will come from. The Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a public sector undertaking operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, will be the sole agency tasked with carrying out the implementation of the Scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana
This is a retirement programme for people of retirement age. This is done to ensure the welfare of senior citizens and to provide financial security for those in their later years.
Conclusion
The process of developing a sense of autonomy and self-confidence and acting individually and collectively to change social relationships as well as the institutions and discourses that exclude poor people and keep them in poverty is referred to as social empowerment. Individual assets, such as land, housing, livestock, and savings, as well as capabilities of all types, including human (such as good health and education), social (such as social belonging, a sense of identity, and leadership relations), and psychological, have a significant impact on poor people’s empowerment and their ability to hold others accountable (self-esteem, self-confidence, the ability to imagine and aspire to a better future).