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Women, child development get a boost in Haryana

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Women and Child Development Department took several initiatives in 2007 like constitution of village level committees of women and their convergence with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), formation of Sakashar Mahila Samooh (SMS) and facility of micro-credit for SMS from Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK).

It also launched schemes like construction of Mahila Shakti Sadans, incentive awards for improvement in sex ratio and educational loans for girls and women for higher education.

In a significant move, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Programme was decentralized and made community driven.

The Government set up 6,157 village level Sub-Committees of women under the overall supervision of Gram Panchayats to facilitate implementation of programmes pertaining to development of women and children.

In another major initiative, it was decided to dispense with centralized system of procuring the ready to eat food items for the beneficiaries of ICDS and entrust the responsibility of preparation of food items to Women Self Groups or Mothers’ Groups. This generated employment for about 75,000 rural women.

The Government enhanced the financial norms from Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 per day per child and Rs 5 for severely malnourished children per day and from Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 5 per day per mother and adolescent girl so that protein and calories’ requirements could be ensured to all the beneficiaries. These rates are highest in the country, an official spokesman said here on Sunday.

It also set up about 6,000 “Sakshar Mahila Samoohs” (SMS), a group of educated women in every village, to lend the necessary resource support to the Gram Panchayat and its sub-committee for effective discharge of the functions assigned to them. The SMS generated awareness on key issues like sex ratio, literacy, universalization of elementary education, health and nutrition,opportunities for economic empowerment for women, hygiene, sanitation and environment and schemes run by the Government for women, girls, children and the village community.

The spokesman added that UNICEF had agreed to provide technical support to the State Government in its multi-faceted endeavours to empower women and the girl child, formulation of a strategy to address issues of female foeticide and to explore private sector participation in areas that could be beneficial in increasing resources available to children.

It was a major achievement that the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) agreed to recognize SMS as an eligible NGO for the purpose of promoting micro credit but also trained their members. Interestingly, NABARD has also shown interest to use SMS for micro-credit, he added.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced that Mahila Chaupals, rechristened as Mahila Shakti Sadans, would be constructed in all villages in a phased manner. These would be equipped with library, furniture, computer and stationery to make them self-sufficient resource centre to address gender needs of the village.

The Haryana Women Development Corporation benefitted about 2,800 women under its loan scheme in 2007 by enabling them to set up their own enterprises. And to promote and encourage higher education among girls, the Corporation started giving Education Loans to girls and women at cheaper interest rates.

It was decided that the districts showing improvement in declining sex ratio and securing first three positions in the State would be given awards at district level every year. And to reduce the number of malnourished children in Haryana, Nutrition Awards were instituted at district level. Furthermore, to encourage rural girls to go in for higher education, 384 girls were conferred Rural Adolescent Girls Awards.

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