Village libraries, She Toilets, Gruhini Shakti: Bommai announces schemes for women, children in budget

The allocation for gender and women empowerment was ₹46,278 crore, while the allocation for the child budget was ₹47,256 crore.

Facilities for women

Bommai, on Friday, announced “Gruhini Shakti Yojane” for the empowerment of women, which includes monthly assistance of ₹500 for landless women farm workers.

Skill development training for one lakh women to start profitable home-based industries was also announced in the budget.

As a part of women empowerment measures, entrepreneurship training in IIM-B at a cost of ₹3 crore for 300 women graduates from minority communities was also announced in the budget.

A grant of ₹1,000 crore to provide free bus passes to around 30 lakh women working in the organised sector and free bus passes for 8 lakh girl students under the “Vidyavahini” scheme at a cost of ₹350 crore was also announced in the Karnataka budget.

Action to provide cooked meals to eligible married women in Anganwadis to prevent malnutrition and anaemia under ‘the Arogya Pushti’ programme was also announced.

A large-scale initiative aimed at women’s empowerment came with a commitment to disburse loans of ₹1,800 crore at a zero rate of interest to 45,000 women’s self-help groups in the cooperation sector.

Bommai also announced that the government had bifurcated the Women and Child Department into Department of Child Nutrition and Department of Women Empowerment.

More aid

Bommai announced the launch of 4,000 Child Care Centres in urban areas for the building and other construction workers.

At least 500 creche facilities for women under the MGNREGS found a mention in the budget.

For differently-abled women, a grant of ₹50 crore for the distribution of motorised two-wheelers to 5,000 people was announced under the “Swachetana Yojane”.

Action to provide housing facility to acid attack victims and loan facility for self-employment, the establishment of a special fund in Women Development Corporation to provide quality medical treatment and legal aid was also announced.

A decision to grant gratuity for Anganwadi workers and assistants with a provision of a ₹40-crore grant and the opportunity for voluntary retirement was also announced. The monthly honorarium has been increased by Rs 1000 to Anganwadi workers, assistants, Asha workers, cooks and assistants under the midday meal scheme, grama sahayakas, home guards and librarians.

At least 250 well-equipped “She Toilets” will be constructed in the heavily populated markets, mega commercial complexes, etc. of Bengaluru city. A state-of-the-art-design — including toilets, feeding rooms, mobile charging, and emergency SOS services — at a cost of ₹50 crore would be constructed in these complexes, Bommai said.

Other than free bus passes for girl students of government schools and colleges , Bommai said action to complete the construction of total 9,556 classrooms including 7,601 classrooms approved under Viveka Yojane was underway. Extension of the Vidya Nidhi scheme to children of tailors was also announced.

A grant of ₹100 crore for providing better infrastructure and study materials under the PM SHRI Yojane was announced along with an allocation of ₹80 crore for the construction of 5,581 toilets in schools.

A grant of ₹8.5 crore was announced for the students coming from the backward communities for their Foundation Course in Science and Maths subjects for 10,000 students of 8th to 10th standards in pre-metric hostels of Backward Classes Welfare department.

“To inculcate interest and awareness about the current affairs, strengthening of libraries and establishment of Reading Corners will be undertaken by providing books, newspapers and periodicals at a grant of ₹20 crore in 24,347 Schools,” Bommai said.

A new scheme, “Abhyudaya” will be launched in association with JPAL for taking up supplementary teaching to the students of Classes 8 and 9 with an aim to improve the results of SSLC.

“In this year libraries will be established in the 330 Gram Panchayats which do not have libraries. 1000 rural libraries in the State will be upgraded for the convenience of differently-abled- children,” Bommai said.