Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Beti Barhao: Redefining Women Empowerment

Our Nation is marching towards Nari Shakti and redefining Indian Womanhood, as we are acquiring the centre stage in the development discourse. The contours of development have seen a transition from women-centric development to women-led development. The parameter of empowerment has been widened to include not only economic development but also a greater emphasis has been on social development, which includes education, good health, everyday dignity, confidence, and courage to demand and seek access to services like education which has altered the power relations. This resolute commitment to elevating the status of women in society gives us a new conception of Nari Shakti, an Indian version of women empowerment that has attracted women voters towards the government. This wide-ranging support of women from all quarters can be seen in the 2022 Election Commission of India data, which reveals that the present government is more electorally popular among women than men. This revelation counters the numerous aspersions that suggest otherwise which are cast against Prime Minister Modi’s government that suggest otherwise. There has been a paradigm shift that the BJP-led government has initiated when it comes to a holistic understanding of women empowerment, transcending narrow prism of economic determinism and linking it with larger question of safety, security, dignity, and leadership.

Women were seen as an agent of social change but also promoted as nation builders, a legacy that was increasingly lost in independent India. The idea that we must see women as nation-builders created a sense of ownership in women towards the nation. Further, such an outlook didn’t reduce women to being victims but cast women as agents of not only their own lives but also agents to reshape the nation according to her own image. The discourse and policies of Nari Shakti turned a new leaf in the question of women's emancipation in nation-making.

The policies of Modi government addressed the question of women’s rights truly transcending caste, class, region, and religion. Among the mainstream scholars, activists, and workers, often the women's question revolved around elite and urban India. Mostly articulated from a dominant position which left women from different social classes in the margin, the central question of their lives and livelihood often remained untouched. Under the Modi government, a critical focus was turned to these nuances. Well-thought-out policies and campaigns were carved out to address those gaps and a nuanced approach of intersectionality was applied in dealing with the so-called ‘ordinary’: the women who were excluded from the mainstream discourse and policies of the previous regimes.

Three massive and mass policies have been carried out by the government which is central to understanding how effectively the BJP government connected to its women constituency. The three important policies that affected women and brought their concerns together are the Ujwala Yojana, Swachha Bharat Abhiyan, and Jal Jeevan Mission. It is the women who are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to fuel, water and toilets, and these inequalities are further compounded when we look at women belonging to economically weaker sections and women from the margins. These daily chores acquire almost a fatal character when we consider the multiple threats these women face as they go to fetch water or wood, or when they go out for open defecation. While working on the question of water, gas and toilets, the government has reached out to a majority of women and their immediate, everyday concerns. It not only brought security, safety, and hygiene but also dignity to the lives of ordinary women.

When every auto has written the slogan of "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" (aims to bridge the gender gap in education and improve the female-to-male ratio) it signifies the penetration of schemes and its understanding to every segment of the society, there has been a rise in the consciousness in the minds of the people not only in giving birth to a girl child but also raising her with dignity. With the inclusion of provisions for diversification of skills, a holistic well-being of the girls is being focused. This program has led to a significant increase in the enrollment of girls in schools and colleges, empowering them with knowledge and skills. Further, other programs were initiated for economic empowerment and to inculcate entrepreneurship zeal among women. According to sources 68 per cent of loans have been extended to more than 27 crore women. Furthermore, 3.8 crore Sukanya Samridhi Yojana was created for the budget year 2023-24. The Mahila Samman Savings Certificate was also launched. This yojana brings a revolution among the mindsets of the people. They were invited to participate in the radical social transformation which has been inculcated in social psychology that sees the female child as a blessing for the family. Economist Amartya Sen in this context becomes prominent when he emphasized capability building or capacity building approach for development, which means bettering individual women's lives not only in the short term but also involves creating spaces for long-term interaction and building bonds for collectively seeking g change in women’s status. These policies have not merely transcendent social classes, but they also brought minority women and women from other marginalized regions such as the Northeast to the centre of Indian debate. The Muslim Women (Protection of Right on Marriage) Act, 2019, Government created a roadmap for Muslim women who had to force to accept arbitrary divorce laws in their own communities.

The Indian government has done considerable work towards gender equality in gender empowerment. One such initiative is 'Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)' under Digital India Programme. This scheme aims to bridge the digital divide, especially targeting the rural population including the marginalised sections of society, women, and girls by covering 6 crore rural households. As of 08.12.2022, the percentage of women who benefited under PMGDISHA is over 53 per cent of the total enrolled, over 54 per cent of the total trained and over 56 per cent of the total certified. In addition, the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education is administering the ‘National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology’ (NMEICT) Scheme, SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), SWAYAM PRABHA, National Digital Library (NDL), Virtual Lab, e-Yantra, NEAT (National Education Alliance for Technology) etc. to ensure quality education through e-learning to students across the country.

The Umbrella Scheme of Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes namely "Sambal" for the safety and security of women and "Samarthya" for the empowerment of women. Under the 'Samarthya' sub-scheme, a new component i.e. Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) has been included with the aim to facilitate inter-sectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women at the Central, State/ UT and District levels for creating an environment in which women are able to realize their full potential. Under the HEW, women are provided access to healthcare, quality education, career and vocational counselling/ training, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, backward and forward linkages, health and safety for workers, social security, and digital literacy at districts/ Blocks/ Gram Panchayats level across the country.

Through comprehensive policies and targeted initiatives, the present government has strived to empower women by addressing social, economic, and cultural barriers. This sustained effort has yielded commendable progress, enabling ‘ordinary’ women to break barriers, pursue their dreams, and actively contribute to India's growth and development. Many policies were carried out successfully in shaping the lives of women with dignity, safety, and security. More than ever, an attempt was initiated to see women as agents of their own life and the life of the nation.