The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme, named after the legendary Sikh warrior Mai Bhago, who led 40 Sikh soldiers to victory against the Mughals in 1705, was introduced by the Government of Punjab in a daring move towards women's empowerment.
The goal of this government scheme for women is to empower them throughout the state by encouraging self-reliance via education, skill development, and financial support. With a ₹300 crore budget, the Punjab government scheme has benefited over 500,000 women as of 2023, demonstrating the state's commitment to promoting gender equality and women's economic independence.
The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme launched by the Government of Punjab focuses on empowering women from rural backgrounds economically while also helping them establish their business ventures, helping them be independent. Let’s understand this scheme for rural development in detail.
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Objectives Of The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme
The most important objective of the Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme is to improve the financial conditions of women living in rural areas.
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Help the women in rural areas to earn a regular mode of income by helping them be self-sufficient and by improving self-employment opportunities and small businesses to ensure a steady flow of income. This helps provide women with means and modes of income, helping them not be dependent on others for their livelihood.
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The government scheme makes sure to provide the necessary training for women to sharpen their skills to help them ready themselves for employment and business. Helping them prepare for real-world business situations.
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This Punjab government scheme aims to provide a diverse livelihood option and also aims for the socio-economic empowerment of women by opening up several chances before them.
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The Benefits Of The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme
The scheme offers several benefits for the rural women of Punjab, such as:
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Government loan schemes of up to Rs. 25,000 are sanctioned to the women through the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, which is also at a feasible interest rate of 8-10% per annum. Which is substantially lesser than the normal interest rates, making it easier for the women to come up later on.
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The women also have the option to take up the loan either individually or in groups for the setting up of micro-industries like shops, repair services, or cottage industries.
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Proper training is provided as part of this scheme to women on trades like tailoring, embroidery, management of livestock, food processing, and so on.
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Added support is provided to the women’s businesses by the scheme as they help conduct exhibitions, melas, etc. to help women sell their products more easily.
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Eligibility Criteria For The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme
To be eligible to be a part of the Punjab government scheme, applicants must be:
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A female resident of the state of Punjab, also belonging to a rural background.
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Have an Aadhaar Card and bank account.
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Submit necessary documentation, such as:
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Application Process For The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme
To apply for this government scheme, applicants must:
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One must check if they are eligible to apply for it in the first place.
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Women fitting the eligibility criteria can then visit their nearest Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society.
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Fill out the form provided and submit the required documents.
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The application is then processed by the cooperative bank.
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Once approved, the bank will approve the loan amount to be passed.
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Conclusion
The Mai Bhago Istri Shakti Scheme is a brave initiative by the Punjab Government that lends a helping hand to rural women, supporting them financially while also giving them much-needed technical support to help empower rural women by allowing them to be self-employed entrepreneurs and business owners.
Learn in detail about the scheme here or mail rcspunjab@gmail.com for any queries.
You can also reach out to Jaagruk Bharat through their community page with any questions that you might come across.
