Social Welfare
Nari Shakti se Naya Bharat
Posted On: 15 AUG 2025 12:34 AM
Women Empowerment in Action
"Today, everyone is recognising the strength of women in India. Women are not only the beneficiaries of a growing economy, but our '#NariShakti', 'Matri Shakti' and 'Stree Shakti' also play a major role in driving its growth.”
“From #startups to the space sector, and from sports to the defence sector, our daughters are shining brightly in every field. The nation was filled with pride as it witnessed the passing out of the first-ever batch of #NDA women cadets.”
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, 79th Independence Day
Key Highlights of the Prime Minister's 79th Independence Day Speech
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Independence Day address on 15th August, 2025, focused on youth, education, and health:
“The government is supportive of you; do not abandon your ideas. If you require any modifications to government policy, please inform us. This nation will not cease to progress; this is India's time."
“Ayushman Bharat has worked to free people from the habit of bearing diseases and to help them improve their health.”
“Those securing their first private sector job will receive INR 15,000 from the government under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana.”
"In the last 11 years, entrepreneurship has gained great power. Today, lakhs of startus in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are driving innovation across the country."
Introduction
The Government of India have been pivotal in launching transformative schemes for women, broadly under four pillars – education and health, economic empowerment, social and political empowerment, and safety and security. These schemes are aimed at fostering gender equality, safety, and self-reliance through initiatives like Mission Shakti, NaMo Drone Didi Yojana, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, empowering women to become equal partners in nation-building.
Comprehensively, some of the key central sector schemes that have been empowering women since the past decade include:
Mission Shakti
Mission Shakti, a flagship Government of India initiative, ensures women’s safety, security, and empowerment through a lifecycle approach, with Sambal (safety) enhancing schemes like One Stop Centres (819 operational, aiding 10.98 lakh women), Women Helpline (214.78 lakh calls), SHe-Box Portal, and Nari Adalat, and Samarthya (empowerment) supporting 2.92 lakh women via Shakti Sadan (₹630.43 crore) and 5.07 lakh via Sakhi Niwas (₹196.05 crore), alongside the #AbKoiBahanaNahi campaign launched in 2024 to combat gender-based violence.
Empowering Women, Empowering Nation
Abolition of Triple Talaq
The abolition of Triple Talaq serves as a historic reform ensuring dignity, equality, and true empowerment for crores of Muslim women. The Triple Talaq Act criminalizes the practice of instant divorce, ensuring legal protection and greater equality for Muslim women by enabling them to escape longstanding domestic violence and discrimination.
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, a landmark constitutional reform, reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women, including SC and ST representation, fostering their political empowerment and paving the way for future female leaders to shape India’s progress.
Lakhpati Didi Scheme
“We already have 2 crore women who have become lakhpati didi since the inception of the scheme.”
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, 79th Independence Day
Lakhpati Didi initiative is an outcome of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented by Ministry in partnership of States and UTs (except Chandigarh and Delhi), with the objective to improve the livelihoods of poor rural households in country, and organise rural households into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for their social and financial inclusion.
As of 2025, 3.32 crore potential Lakhpati Didi has been identified, along with 8.7 crore Digital Ajeevika registration, and 4.13 lakh Ajeevika CRPS.
Swadhar Greh Scheme
Launched in 2011, the Swadhar Greh Scheme, a Centrally Sponsored initiative, provides institutional support and rehabilitation for women facing challenging circumstances, enabling them to live with dignity.
NaMo Drone Didi Yojana
The NaMo Drone Didi Yojana, launched on August 15, 2023, empowers women in Self Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM by providing 80% subsidy (up to ₹8 lakh) and training for drone use in agriculture, enhancing income by over ₹1 lakh annually, promoting sustainable farming, and fostering rural employment and financial inclusion. The scheme aims to provide drones to 15000 selected Women SHGs during the period from 2024-25 to 2025-2026 for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purpose, with a budget of Rs. 1261 Crore allocated for modernizing agriculture with latest drone technology.
Female Cadets in National Defence Academy
On May 30, 2025, the National Defence Academy (NDA) marked a historic milestone as 17 female cadets graduated for the first time, joining 319 male counterparts among the 336 cadets who completed the 148th Course – Spring Term 2025.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
Launched in 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has provided 10.33 crore LPG connections, freeing women from harmful smoke, earning praise from the International Energy Agency as a landmark in health, environmental reform, and gender equality.
Women and Child Healthcare and Wellness
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
Implemented since 2017, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a flagship scheme by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, provides maternity benefits of ₹5,000 for the first child (plus Janani Suraksha Yojana incentives, averaging ₹6,000) and ₹6,000 for the second child if a girl, to socially and economically disadvantaged pregnant and lactating mothers, promoting girl child welfare and improving sex ratio at birth.
The scheme has benefited 4.05 crore individuals by 2025, with no specific budget allocation or year of allocation provided.
Mission Indradhanush
Mission Indradhanush, launched on December 25, 2014, is a vital public health initiative to boost immunization coverage in India, targeting children and pregnant women to protect them from life-threatening diseases.
As of December 2024, more than 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women have been vaccinated.
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), complementing JSSK, is a conditional cash transfer program that promotes institutional deliveries among impoverished pregnant women, particularly in rural and underserved regions, benefiting over 11.07 crore individuals by March 2025.
Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN)
The Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative ensures free, high-quality healthcare for pregnant women, sick newborns, and mothers up to six months post-delivery, providing dignified and respectful care in 90,015 certified facilities nationwide as of March 2025.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) significantly enhances maternal health by providing four thorough antenatal check-ups in the first trimester to identify high-risk pregnancies early.
As of August 2025, there are 6813 volunteers registered, and there are 22,349 facilities providing of PMSMA services across the country.
Educating Women, Facilitating Advancements
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
Launched in 2015, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna is a small deposit scheme for girl child, launched as a part of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign.
Since its inception, 4.1 crore Sukanya Samriddhi accounts have been opened.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
As per UDISE data of Ministry of Education, enrolment of girls in the schools up to secondary has increased from 75.51% percent in (2014-15) to 78% in 2023-24.
KIRAN Scheme
The WISE-KIRAN scheme by the Department of Science and Technology empowers women from all backgrounds to enhance their participation in Science and Technology, addressing challenges and promoting gender equality for a diverse and inclusive scientific ecosystem.
As of February 2024, there are 52203 women from across the country who have been benefitted significantly by the WISE-KIRAN scheme.
Conclusion
The central government’s array of women-focused schemes are catalysing a profound shift towards gender equality by addressing critical needs in health, education, economic independence, and political representation. By empowering millions of women across diverse backgrounds, these initiatives are not only transforming individual lives but also laying a robust foundation for a more inclusive, equitable, and progressive India, ensuring women are equal partners in shaping the nation’s future.
References:
https://missionindradhanush.in/
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/?q=en/pressrelease-168
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=154585&ModuleId=3
https://pmsma.mohfw.gov.in/
https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2025/jan/doc2025121487401.pdf
https://lakhpatididi.gov.in/
https://namodronedidi.php-staging.com/
https://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/namo-drone-didi
https://eparlib.sansad.in/bitstream/123456789/2974456/1/AS64.pdf
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2132691
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