There are a variety of government schemes which help girls from different castes and income backgrounds to complete their education. Check a list of schemes along with benefits.
The Government of India has come up with several schemes for girls & women in the country. Many of the schemes are for the betterment of the future of girl child in terms of her education, financial independence & help her in critical situations. Let us take a look at such top 7 schemes which help a girl child in her education.
1 – Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by the Prime Minister on 22nd January, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana. It mainly works upon the declining in Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women empowerment. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
The key elements of the scheme include Enforcement of PC & PNDT Act, nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on CSR) in the first phase. There is a strong emphasis on mindset change through training, sensitization, awareness raising and community mobilization on ground.
2 – Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
This is a very popular scheme in Indians mainly for the education of girl children.
The maturity period for investment is 15 years, and the policy matures if the girl gets married at 18 or when she gets 21 years older, whichever comes earlier.
A guardian of the girl can open a SSY account in the name of a girl child below 10 years of age. The account can be opened for a maximum of two girls in a family.
The government run scheme allows you to invest as little as Rs 250 to as much as Rs 1.50 lakh in a financial year. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) is one such scheme where regular deposits as low as Rs 5,000 a month can help one get a maturity amount of nearly Rs 28 lakh.
3 – Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY)
The scheme is mainly designed for the girls living below the poverty line i.e. born in BPL families. Under the scheme, the government bears all their expenses from the birth of daughters to their education. Under this scheme, if the mother has a daughter, financial assistance of Rs 500 is given after the birth of the daughter.
Apart from this, every year a scholarship is given for her studies. In which, every girl student till class I-III gets Rs. 300 per year for each class, class 5-10 scholarship amount: Rs. 600, Rs. 700, Rs. 800, and Rs. 1000 are given per year.
4 – CBSE Udaan Scheme
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) launched the scheme in 2014), to promote enrolment of girl students in prestigious engineering institutions and minimize the teaching gap between school education and engineering entrance examinations.
If the beneficiary girl student acquires a seat in IIT or NIT or any other centrally-funded Technical Education Institutions and secured a minimum of 75% in the Udaan classes, they can then avail financial aid in terms of tuition fees, admission fees, and hostel expenses. Any Indian girl with a family income of less than Rs 6 lakh is eligible for the scheme.
5 – National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE)
The scheme is to establish an enabling environment to promote enrolment and reduce drop out of girls belonging to SC/ST communities in secondary schools and ensure their retention up to the 18 years of age.
The scheme covers (i) all girls belonging to SC/ST communities who pass class VIII and (ii) all girls who pass class VIII examination from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (irrespective of whether they belong to SC/ ST), and enroll in class IX in State/ UT Government, Government-aided and Local Body schools.
A sum of Rs.3000/- is deposited in the name of eligible unmarried girls as fixed deposit on enrolment in class IX, who are entitled to withdraw it along with interest thereon upon reaching 18 years of age and passing Class X examination.
6 – Rajiv Gandhi Scheme For Empowerment Of Adolescent Girls (SABLA)
SABLA Scheme stands for Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, and it aims to empower adolescent girls (AGs) aged 11 to 18 through nutrition, health care, and life skills education
Features of the Scheme
- Providing nutritional supplements regularly in adequate quantity
- Giving life skills and counselling
- Providing information on public services like Primary Healthcare Centres, Post Offices, Police Station, and Banks
- Improving the overall well-being by educating on hygiene and family welfare.
7. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV)
The scheme is designed mainly to encourage the participation of girls in education, the existing Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) at upper primary level and Girls Hostels at secondary level have been extended/converged to provide residential and schooling facilities up to Class-XII under the Scheme.
Thus, the Scheme now provides access and quality education to girls from disadvantaged groups of girls in the age group of 10-18 years aspiring to study in Classes VI to XII; belonging to SC, ST, OBC, Minority communities and BPL families.