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New initiatives to improve women’s lives in Bihar

Patna: Bihar’s NDA Government has formulated a comprehensive plan to improve lives of women in the State who make up nearly 50 per cent of the population and yet lag far behind their male counterparts in quality of life.

The attempt will be made from two flanks: first, hundred per cent utilisation of budgetary allocation for schemes such as Mahila Vidyalaya, Chief Minister’s Kanya Vivah Yojana, Naari Shakti Yojana, Kanya Suraksha Yojana and Indira Awas Yojana.

The other is to earmark funds for women for scholarships and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who also has the finance portfolio, said that earlier it was believed public outlays were gender-neutral, but, he said, it was not correct.

Though women constitute almost half of the population, they were far behind men in all aspects of human development indicators in the State, he said.

There were 3.97 crore women as against 4.32 crore men in the State, but the female literacy was just half of the male.

“There are 10 key social sector departments which are social welfare, SC and ST welfare, PHED, minorities welfare, human resource development, health, rural development, urban development, panchayati raj and labour resource,” he said.

The State Government has made a budgetary provision of Rs 2,247.80 crore for the 10 key social sector departments out of a total provision of Rs 14,957.34 crore for the present financial year, he said.

Mr. Modi said in the 10 social sector departments which were covered, provision for women benefit-oriented schemes was 15 per cent of the total budget of the departments and was 5.83 per cent of the total budget size (Rs 38,574.12 crore) proposed for the next fiscal and 1.95 per cent of the State’s gross state domestic product.

The major gender-sensitive provisions in the budget was Rs 72 crore for CM Balika Poshak (uniform) Yojana, Rs 42.14 crore for CM Balika Cycle scheme and Rs 20 crore for CM Kanya vivah scheme, he said.

Similarly, Rs 26 crore was proposed for Kanya Suraksha Yojana, Rs 22.50 crore for Nari Shakti Yojana, Rs 5.15 crore for Swaymsidha, Rs 53.90 crore Laxhmibai Social Security scheme, Rs 13.80 crore for National Programme for Adolescent Girls Nutrition, Rs 105.89 crore for supplementary nutrition (pregnant and lactating mothers, Rs 486.98 crore for Indira Awas Yojanaand Rs 1.40 crore for new ITI for women, Mr. Modi said. -- PTI

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New initiatives to improve women’s lives in Bihar

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