7 Ways in Which Chhattisgarh is Educating and Empowering Women

Education is the foundation upon which we build our future. Despite being a young state, Chhattisgarh has had the foresight to lay special emphasis on the education of its youth. This is evident in the long strides of progress we see around the state today – whether it’s the numerous new educational institutes being built across the state or the higher state literacy rate. The government is also working towards ending gender disparity in education by focusing on female education. In a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the nation work towards the ‘Beti Padhao-Beti Bachao’ mission, Chhattisgarh was the first state in India to make education free for all girls till graduation.

In addition to the age-old conservative mindset of people towards female education, Chhattisgarh’s administration has also had to battle the fear of Naxal activity, which is another major factor that deters parents from sending their children to school. In order to improve this situation, the state government has made it a priority to launch schemes and initiatives that are designed to help empower the girl child.

 

  1. Saraswati Bicycle Scheme

 

This is an incentive scheme that was introduced by the Chhattisgarh government in 2004-05. Its aim is to promote the enrolment of girls in schools and reduce the dropout rate in the 14-18 years age group. Under this scheme, all girls in this age group from SC/ST/BPL/Tribal groups are provided bicycles for free so they can travel to and from their school easily.

This initiative has certainly paid dividends. Now girls come and go from school in groups which also allays their families’ security concerns especially in Naxal-affected areas. This has drastically reduced the dropout rates among girls in high school.

Of the ten worst affected districts, between 2007 and 2012, 4,37,799 girls have benefited from this scheme. The enrolment number has increased from 5,436 in 2006-07 to 11,876 in 2011-12. The dropout rate has decreased from 3% to 0.9% during the same period.


 

  1. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

A central government scheme launched in 2004, its objective is to run residential girls’ schools for the weaker sections of society in Educationally Backward Blocks of the country. These are those areas with lower female literacy ratios than the national average (46.13%) and a higher gender gap in literacy than the national average (21.59%).

This is particularly helpful for a state like Chhattisgarh where more than 40% of the population is SC/ST/OBC/Tribal and has to face the additional challenge of the Naxal insurgency.

 

  1. Sanchar Kranti Yojna (CG-SKY)

This is the biggest mobile distribution scheme in the country. Under this, about 45 lakh women will be provided mobiles by the Chhattisgarh government. At the college level, 5 lakh phones will be distributed to the students by the state government. This will boost participative governance, women empowerment and financial inclusion. Women self-help groups will find new markets easily and get financial independence. It will also open up a whole new world of information which will no doubt help improve digital literacy among girls. The distribution of these mobile phones is currently underway.

 

  1. Dantewada Education City

Once the Indian district with the lowest literacy rate at 42%, today Dantewada thrives with an Education City spread over an area of 150 acres and a budget of ₹100 crore. It all started in 2011 when the state government inaugurated the city.

The Education City has numerous institutions catering to the needs of the girl child. These include a Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya, a special school for tribal girls and a whole host of colleges that provide free education to the needy. In a special Saksham school, currently there are 85 differently-abled girls getting an education that empowers them to build a promising future for themselves. KPMG, one of the world’s largest audit firms, has listed Dantewada’s Education City among the world’s top 100 urban infrastructure projects.

 

  1. Mukhya Mantri Swalamban Yojna

This scheme provides professional training to women in order to make them self-dependent. More than 4,854 women have benefited from this scheme. In addition to this the loan scheme of Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh has provided loans of more than ₹68 crores to 32,855 women self-help groups since 2003-04.

 

  1. Polytechnic Institutes

Polytechnic institutes play a big role in the building of technical skills and knowhow. The Chhattisgarh government seems to be well aware of this, as they have already established four girls’ polytechnic institutions across the state. In addition to this, there is already at least one polytechnic college in each district of the state. Back in 2003-04, 61 government ITIs were catering to 6,664 trainees, by 2017-18 the number of ITIs have grown three times to 178 and are training a mindboggling 25,589 trainees. Each such institute provides professional training to students, ensuring they have skills that can help them gain employment.

  1. Mahila Samakhya Scheme

This is an MHRD scheme that aims to educate and empower women in rural areas, particularly those from socially and economically marginalised groups. It aims to enhance their self-esteem and confidence, develop their ability to think critically, ensure equal participation in development processes and providing them with skills that allow them to become economically independent.