Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat: Women powering India's journey towards 'Viksit Bharat'

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) As India celebrates 80th Independence Day, the empowerment of its women stands as a powerful symbol of freedom, dignity and equal opportunity, strengthening the nation’' journey towards a 'Viksit Bharat'. 

Women are increasingly emerging as active drivers of India's development, moving beyond the traditional role of welfare beneficiaries.

Government interventions now span the entire life cycle—from the girl child's education, maternal healthcare and nutrition to skills, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and political leadership. This expanding ecosystem is strengthening women's dignity, economic independence and participation in nation-building.

The Union government has strengthened maternal and child health through initiatives such as 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' (BBBP), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK).

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) recorded a sex ratio of 1,020 females per 1,000 males, compared with 943 in Census 2011.

According to government data, PMMVY provides Rs 5,000 for the first living child and Rs 6,000 for a second child if it is a girl.

Around 5.13 crore beneficiaries had enrolled By July 2026. As much as Rs 20,571 crore have been disbursed. PMSMA has examined more than 7.50 crore pregnant women and identified 1.03 crore high-risk pregnancies for focused digital tracking. Institutional births increased from 78.9 per cent in NFHS-4 to 90.6 per cent in NFHS-6.

Women's educational participation has expanded significantly.

Female school enrolment stood at 11.96 crore in 2025-26. Enrolment in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas increased to 7.58 lakh from 6.07 lakh in 2020-21. Female higher-education enrolment reached 2.18 crore in 2022-23.

Initiatives like the Gender Inclusion Fund, scholarships, AICTE PRAGATI and Vigyan Jyoti are widening opportunities for girls, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Vigyan Jyoti has benefited more than 1.12 lakh girls across 300 districts. Supernumerary seats in IITs and NITs have also helped raise women's participation from below 10 per cent to more than 20 per cent.

Skill-development programmes are creating new pathways to employment. Nearly 45 per cent of PMKVY beneficiaries are women, while NAVYA has trained girls aged between 16-18 years in areas such as digital marketing, cybersecurity and AI-enabled services.

Ayushman Bharat is expanding women's access to healthcare. Around 22.48 crore Ayushman cards had been issued to women by August 2026. More than 5.25 crore hospital admissions involving women were reported. More than 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are functional nationwide.

POSHAN 2.0 serves more than 8.94 crore beneficiaries, including pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls. Moreover, 8.73 crore women had been screened for cervical cancer by February 2026.

As regards economic empowerment, women hold 32.68 crore Jan-Dhan accounts as of July 2026.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, two-thirds of sanctioned loans have gone to women entrepreneurs.

Through DAY-NRLM, women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have accessed more than Rs 12.18 lakh crore in bank credit.

The Lakhpati Didi initiative is helping SHG members pursue sustainable annual incomes of at least Rs 1 lakh.

'Mission Shakti' strengthens women's safety and empowerment through the Sambal and Samarthya components.

One Stop Centres, Nari Adalats and the Women Helpline provide support and grievance redressal.

Housing schemes have also expanded women's ownership. A substantial share of PMAY-Gramin and PMAY-U 2.0 houses were allotted to women.

Women's representation in public life is growing. As of March 2025, 14.5 lakh women were elected Panchayati Raj representatives, nearly 46 per cent of the total.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies following the prescribed delimitation process.

Women are also entering traditionally male-dominated fields, including defence, with the first batch of 17 women cadets graduating from the National Defence Academy in 2025.