Smriti Irani Pledges Help from the Government for Victims of Gender Violence

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 5 July 2022

During the zonal conference on "8 Years, Achievements Impact on Women and Children" that took place in Hyderabad on Monday, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani reassured Telangana that the state will support women who were victims of gender-based violence. Satyavati Rathod, the Telangana Minister for Tribal Welfare, Women, and Child Welfare, was in attendance. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, PM CARES, Sakhi One Stop Centers, PM Matriva Yojana, and other programmes' recipients.

Irani told the gathering that the beneficiaries' experiences have demonstrated that policies can improve the lives of women when they are put into practise with the help of the State. She said "about 36 One Stop Centers (OSC) had been sanctioned for Telangana. Of them 33 are already operational. I welcome fresh proposals from the State to increase the number of OSCs, if required."

The One Stop Centers programme, which was introduced in 2015, offers medical treatment, legal assistance, psychiatric counselling, and temporary housing to women who are victims of gender-based violence. Irani admired the bravery of one Sakhi OSC recipient who told her story of surviving the tragedy of domestic abuse. She now operates a little kirana shop and is self-sufficient financially.

The Union minister said "about 4,000 children were given financial assistance under 'PM CARES'. She lauded the resolve and positivity of beneficiaries who shared their gritty tales of overcoming hardships with the help of various schemes. Irani shared that 2.7 crore bank accounts under the Sukanya Samridhi Yojana (SSY) scheme have been opened so far. Over Rs.1 lakh crore has been deposited in them so far."

She added that the SSA had totally covered over 19,000 villages, demonstrating the government's dedication to the empowerment of women. According to Satyavati Rathod, the State and Central governments' joint efforts are having a positive impact on the State's child health indicators and women's empowerment.