Women’s Empowerment has always been a burning issue all over India including Rajasthan.
Women empowerment signifies that women should be given equal opportunity in every field, irrespective of any discrimination. Women have undergone a lot over the years in this patriarchal society. Even the basic right of education is not being provided to them. Their capabilities to perform any task was always questioned. But with time, they understood their rights. We can now see women in almost every field: architecture, lawyers, financial services, engineering, medical, and IT jobs. They have also made their way in service occupations such as a nurse, a beautician, a sales worker, a waitress, etc.
To make the world a better place for women, the individuals and government must come together. To ensure equality, security, participation, and all other rights of women and girls in society, it is very important to empower women and to provide them a supportive and friendly environment. The development of women and girls is not possible only with the participation of women, participation of men will also be necessary for this. The Rajasthan government acknowledges the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in its overall planning, budgeting, and implementation of state policies, plans, and laws.
CM Shri Ashok Gehlot announced in his recent budget the establishment of Indira Mahila Shakti Kendra at all district headquarters to provide counseling regarding the problems of women. Also, In order to empower women financially, a provision of direct government procurement of material of up to one lakh rupees made by rural women self-help groups of Rajivika will be made on the lines of Amrita Society.
For the betterment of Women’s health, the Rajasthan government also announced to provide free sanitary napkins to women especially from rural areas under the ‘Chief Minister Free Medicine Scheme.’
Rajasthan Government has been very serious in empowering women through its various programs and policies. For the good health of the women in Rajasthan, the state government had launched Indira Gandhi Matritva Poshan Yojana to provide proper nutrition to pregnant mothers and children up to the age of 3 years. It is an important step taken by the state government towards women’s empowerment. If a pregnant woman gets adequate nutrition, then the baby will also be born healthy. This imperative scheme of the state government will also increase awareness amongst the people in regard to the importance of a mother’s health and her nutrition level for the proper development of children.
The government had also started the ‘Indira Mahila Shakti Udyam Protsahan Yojana’ for the overall development and empowerment of women in the state. Under this scheme, a credit facility is provided for various sectors like industry, service, trade, dairy, agro-based enterprises, etc. through banks. Loan facility of up to Rs. 50 lakh to individual women entrepreneurs or self-help groups and credit facility up to Rs. 1 crore to existing clusters or federation as a group of groups. A 25 percent grant will be given to the applicant on the approved loan amount and a 30 percent grant will be given to the underprivileged on the sanctioned loan amount.
At the individual level, we should start respecting women and start giving them opportunities equal to men. We should promote and encourage them for jobs, higher education, business activities, etc.
The government is already working towards women’s empowerment through various policies. But we as individuals can also empower women by abolishing social evils like the dowry system, child marriage. These small steps will change the situation of women in society and make them feel empowered.