PIB – 23 September 2021

PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN ANNA YOJANA

Focus: GS II- Government policies and Interventions

Why in News?

The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar is topmost in India to have lifted 93% highest percentage of foodgrains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) Phase IV.

• Following close is Odisha which has lifted 92%, Tripura and Meghalaya on the third spot lifting 73% each while Telangana, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh lifted 71% foodgrains each in the above mentioned time period. 

About Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana:

• It is considered as world’s largest food security scheme, aims at ensuring sufficient food for the poor and needy during the coronavirus crisis.
• It was announced as part of the first relief package during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Part of the scheme, the food needs to be provided to all the beneficiaries under public distribution system (TPDS) for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority household (PHH) ration cardholders.
• As per updates, the eligible beneficiaries will receive 5kg of foodgrains and 1 kg Gram per month.

Eligibility 

• Families belonging to the Below Poverty Line – Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) categories will be eligible for the scheme.
• PHH are to be identified by State Governments/Union Territory Administrations as per criteria evolved by them. AAY families are to be identified by States/UTs as per the criteria prescribed by the Central Government:
• Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support.
• Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence.
• All primitive tribal households.
• Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers, and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit and flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, cobblers, destitutes  and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas.
• All eligible Below Poverty Line families of HIV positive persons.

SCHEMES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Focus: GS-II Social Justice

Introduction

The Ministry of Women & Child Development implements following schemes to promote the development of women and children across the country:

Anganwadi Services

Anganwadi Services under Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme, aiming at holistic development of children below 6 years of age and pregnant women & lactating mothers, by providing a package of six services comprising:

1. Supplementary nutrition;
2. Pre-school non-formal education;
3. Nutrition and health Education;
4. Immunization;
5. Health check-up; and
6. Referral services through Anganwadi Centres at grassroots level.

Three of the six services viz., immunization, health check-up and referral services are related to health and are provided by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through NRHM & Public Health Infrastructure.

• Anganwadi Services is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the overall management and monitoring regarding implementation of the ICDS Scheme are being done by the concerned State Government/UT Administration.

POSHAN Abhiyaan

• POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched in March 2018, to comprehensively address the problem of malnutrition in the Country.
• The goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan are to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner and reduction in stunting, wasting in children (0-6 years) as well as reduction of anaemia in Women and children.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development implements Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a Centrally Sponsored Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme with effect from 2017.
• The maternity benefit under this scheme is available to eligible beneficiaries for first living child of the family and Rs.5,000/- is provided to the eligible beneficiary in three installments during pregnancy and lactation in response to individual fulfilling certain nutrition and health seeking conditions.
• The eligible beneficiary also receives the remaining cash incentive as per approved norms towards maternity benefit under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) so that on an average, a woman gets Rs.6,000/-.

Scheme for Adolescent Girls

• Under this scheme, out of school adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years are provided supplementary nutrition under ICDS containing 600 calories, 18-20 grams of protein and micronutrients for 300 days in a year.
• Under the non-nutrition component, the scheme aims at motivating out of school girls in the age group of 11-14 years to return to formal schooling or skill training and several services like IFA supplementation, health check-up and referral services are provided to the beneficiaries.
• The focus of the scheme is to mainstream out of school adolescent girls into formal education system.

National Creche Scheme

• National Crèche Scheme, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, is implemented through the State Governments/UT Administrations with effect from 2017 to provide day care facilities to children (age group of 6 months- 6 years) of working mothers.

The Scheme provides an integrated package of the following services:

1. Daycare Facilities including Sleeping Facilities.
2. Early Stimulation for children below 3 years and Pre-school Education for 3 to 6 years old children.
3. Supplementary Nutrition (to be locally sourced)
4. Growth Monitoring.
5. Health Check-up and Immunization.

One Stop Centre (OSC) Scheme

• OSCs aim to facilitate women affected by violence with a range of integrated services under one roof such as police facilitation, medical aid, providing legal aid and legal counselling, psycho-social counselling, temporary shelter etc.

Scheme of Universalisation of Women Helpline

• The Scheme of Women Helpline through the short code 181 provides 24 hours emergency and non-emergency response to women affected by violence, both in public and private spaces by linking them with appropriate authority such as Police, One Stop Centre, Hospital, Legal Services etc.
• WHL also supports women in distress with rescue van and counselling services in addition to providing information about women welfare schemes and programs across the country.

Mahila Police Volunteer

• The Mahila Police Volunteers foster linkage for women needing assistance with law enforcement agencies and various government programmes and initiatives.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme has been launched to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issue of women empowerment.
• It is a tri-ministerial, convergent effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
• The key elements of the scheme include nation-wide awareness, advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral intervention.

SwadharGreh

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development implements SwadharGreh Scheme, which targets women victims under unfortunate circumstances who are in need of institutional support for rehabilitation so that they can lead their life with dignity.
• The Scheme envisages providing shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security for these women.

Ujjawala

• Ujjawala Scheme is for Prevention of trafficking and for Rescue, Rehabilitation, Re-integration and Repatriation of victims of trafficking.
• Under this scheme, funds are provided to implementing agencies for Rescue and Rehabilitation of victims of trafficking.

Working Women Hostel

• Working Women’s Hostel scheme is to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women, with day care facility for their children, wherever possible, in urban, semi urban, and even rural areas where employment opportunity for women exist.
• The scheme supports projects for construction of new hostel buildings, expansion of existing hostel buildings and also for running hostel buildings in rented premises.

Mahila Shakti Kendra

• Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme was approved in 2017 as a centrally sponsored scheme to empower rural women through community participation.
• The Scheme was envisaged to work at various levels. While, National level (domain-based knowledge support) and State level (State Resource Centre for women) structures will provide technical support to the respective governments on issues related to women, the districts and block level Centres will provide support to Mahila Shakti Kendra and also give foothold to women empowerment schemes including BBBP in 640 districts to be covered in a phased manner.

Track Child Portal

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed a web portal “TrackChild” to track the missing and found children.
• The TrackChild Portal is implemented with the help of various stakeholders including Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Railways, State Governments/UT Administrations, Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, National Legal Services Authority, etc. National Informatics Centre organises regular training programmes on Trackchild portal as per the requirement of the States/UTs.

 It is to be noted that The Ministry of Women and Child Development does not directly provide any grants to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s).