Keeping in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Nari Shakti’ vision, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has tried to link several aspect of the Union Budget to the welfare of women.
From ensuring more LPG connections under the Ujjwala Scheme to women who spend a large part of the time in kitchen, to providing money for toilets for their well being and dignity; from providing more financial support to women under Self Help Group (SHG) schemes to reducing contribution by women employees to 8 per cent from present 10-12 per cent to increase their take home salary — the Union Budget directly and indirectly has a lot for the women to cheer about.
In order to free more women from the pain of cooking on wood and coal chulhas, the plan to provide free LPG connections to women under the Ujjawala Scheme has been revised. Now it will be given to 8 crore poor women instead of the previous target of 5 crore women.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Government has decided to construct around two crore toilets. “The positive effect of these toilets is being seen on the dignity of ladies, education of girls and the overall health of family,” Jaitley said.
To encourage employment generation for women, loans to SHG of women, will be raised from Rs 42,500 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 75,000 crore by March, 2019. Jaitley said that women have been the biggest beneficiary of the MUDRA Yojana launched in April, 2015 with. The Yojna has led to sanction of Rs 4.6 lakh crore in credit from 10.38 crore MUDRA loans. Out of this 76 per cent of loan accounts are of women.
Jaitley said emphasis has been laid on the effort to provide incentive to employment of more women in the formal sector.
He added that this will lead to higher take home salary. In addition, the Finance Minister proposed to make amendments in the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 to reduce women employees’ contribution to 8per cent for first three years of their employment against existing rate of 12 per cent or 10 per cent with no change in employers’ contribution.
Provisions have also been made for social security and protection of old and widowed women. Government said work is on to bring over 32 lakh women farmers towards sustainable agriculture by developing 1000 organic clusters where they will be encouraged to take up high-paying organic farming.
Money has also been sanctioned for women security and information, sensitising schemes. In cience and Technology about 450 projects will be given to women for basic research while their share in vocational training will be increased.
The Finance Minister further said, that two health sector initiatives under Ayushman Bharat Programme will build a New India 2022 and ensure enhanced productivity, well being and avert wage loss and impoverishment.
These schemes will also generate lakhs of jobs, particularly for women.
The Women and Child Development ministry has been allotted money for construction of 45 new working women hostels. Rs 725 crore has been set aside for Child Protections Services and Rs 500 crore to motivate adolescent girls to join school and improve their nutritional status. Rs 2400 has been sanctioned for maternal health schemes to bring down MMR to 1per cent.