Impact of Stree Shakthi scheme of Department of Women and Child Development in Karnataka State
Empowerment of the women is a priority area for state governments in India. Karnataka Government formulated and launched a Scheme called Stree Shakthi, wherein opportunities and incentives are provided to women to enable them to come up economically and socially. This resource describes some of the initiatives taken by the Department of Women and Child Development in this regard.
Launched on October 18, 2000 the Scheme of Stree Shakthi has shown its commitment to achieve its aim of empowering women economically and socially. The Department of Women and Child Development has endeavoured to empower women, especially in the rural areas and has initiated various programmes under the Stree Shakthi Scheme. The salient features of this self-help group Scheme are enumerated below along with the achievements:Development Programmes:
Two Training Centres and marketing complexes at divisional level have been sanctioned during 2010-11. These will be constructed at Gulbarga and Bangalore and used for imparting training to the members of Stree Shakthi Groups as well as for marketing their products. An amount ot Rs. 300.00 lakhs was released for this purpose.Strengthening of Cluster/Taluk level Societies:
Nabard and Myrada helped the Department to train 1750 core team members during 5-days- long programme in 58 batches. These members were identified from 175 taluks. Encouraged by the experience of training last year, Rs. 31.5 lakhs was released to conduct similar training to 226 batches during 2011-12.Taluk Marketing Complexes:
The aim of setting up these complexes is to encourage the self-help Groups to take up more and more income generating activities. Groups also need marketing facilities to sell their products. For this purpose the Department provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 166.50 lakhs. This would be used for constructing 17 marketing complex to be called Taluk Bhavans.Activities for generation of income:
The Department encouraged the income generating activities of the Groups by providing them an incentive or Rs. 5000/- to each Group. 358 such Groups were paid Rs. 17.90 lakhs till August, 2011.Incentives for Savings:
Those Groups which saved more than Rs. 75,000/- were given Rs. 15,000/- as an incentive to encouragement to perform better. Similarly, Rs. 20.000/- were given for above Rs. 1.00 lakh saving. Thus, Rs. 40.00 lakhs were given to 200 such Groups during 2011-12.
Melas and Exhbitions:
Each district is encouraged to organise exhibition and marketing melas, both at the taluk and district levels. 30 districts in the state organised such melas and exhibition for which Rs. 75,000/- were released to each district.State Awards to Best Groups:
3 best Stree Shakthi groups are given State Level awards. In addition, awards are given to one group at the district level and one group at the taluk level. Also one award goes to the best group at revenue division level. Three Societies are selected for consistently good performance. A sum of Rs. 12.10 lakhs was allocated for 2011-12 for the purpose of these awardsAchievements:
No. of Stree Shakthi Groups formed in rural areas = 1,30,000
No. of women working under this scheme = 19.00 lakhs
Amount of savings by self-help groups formed under the Scheme = 971.84 crores (Since inception)
Bank loans availed so far = Rs. 1195.98 crores
Internal lending to do various income generating activities = Rs. 2835.94 crores
Incentive paid to Anganwadi workers to monitor Stree Shakthi Groups = Rs. 7.5 lakhsConclusion:
It is important to empower women, specially in the rural areas, to speed up development pace in the country. Karnataka has really done well to empower women through its Department of Women and Child Development's Stree Shakthi Scheme.
