Empowering women at grassroots, via the anganwadi network

While children are currently away from anganwadis due to the pandemic, 21 of these hubs will be used for the SSK scheme.

In order to strengthen the role of women in the state economy and help women entrepreneurs develop micro business enterprises, the Delhi government is ready to launch the Saheli Samanvay Kendra (SSK) scheme at 21 anganwadi (playschool) hubs beginning April 1. These hubs, on a pilot basis, will work as resource centres to enable socio-economic empowerment of women, nurture entrepreneurship, and act as local incubation centres.

Delhi has over 10,700 anganwadis and, of these, around 390 have been clubbed to form around 110 anganwadi hubs(HT Photo | Representational image)

Delhi has over 10,700 anganwadis and, of these, around 390 have been clubbed to form around 110 anganwadi hubs – they combine resources of all nearby anganwadis to function as playschools. While children are currently away from anganwadis due to the pandemic, 21 of these hubs will be used for the SSK scheme.

“Through discussions held under Saheli Samvaad, a need and aspirational mapping will be done to identity potential women and adolescent girls, their educational status, present level of skills and capacity, preference of work, ability to travel outside the community for livelihood trainings, availability of time, and stability of residence for continuity in the Mahila Samooh (women’s collective),” said a notice from the women and child department.

These centres will also help create a database of traditional knowledge and local resources along with collaborating with agencies providing training in soft skills, entrepreneurship and livelihood skills. The aim of the scheme is to build women collectives, strengthen them, and to form district- and state-level federations in the longer run.

Rashmi Singh, director, WCD, said, “These hubs will act as local incubation centres for individual startups and to promote self-help groups (SHGs).”

The centres aim to be a “vibrant space for women and children to engage, receive services and information, build capacities and get sensitised on various issues”.

During the Delhi budget this year, finance minister Manish Sisodia had announced that 500 such hubs would be set up across Delhi to “economically empower women” in nearby areas who would visit the centres for four hours every morning.

Sisodia also cited a government survey which showed that the percentage of unemployed women in the city rose from 26% in February 2020 to 40% this year.

Beginning next month, anganwadi workers will also engage in home visits and weekly meetings (with women and adolescent girls) for mobilisation, awareness, and sensitisation of the community. “The learnings can help in finalising the guidelines before scaling up the model in all projects,” Singh said, adding that the centres would be assessed in 10 days.

The SSKs will also aim to find solutions to women-centric problems through locally available resources. Attention will be given to issues such as decreasing participation of women in workforce, social issues of women’s economic empowerment, and developing leadership skills among women.

“These training sessions will also allow them [women] to become confident and raise their aspirations to undergo vocational training and skilling programmes to widen their choices and be self-reliant. In the process of upgrading their skills, the individual/group who shows inclination and potential to start up a micro enterprise will be supported and hand held through the Samriddhi initiative,” the WCD directive stated.

Crèche services have also been proposed for working women under the scheme. A help desk – Mahila Sahayata Prakosht – will also be set up at these centres to connect women to the required legal, police, health, and financial assistance that they may need. Along with apprising women of various government schemes to help them, the scheme would also focus on the needs of vulnerable groups such as widows and the destitute.

While welcoming the initiative, Madhu Bala, head programmes at NGO Jagori, which works on empowerment of women, said skills training alone will not lead to entrepreneurship or empowerment of women.

“Covid-19 has impacted livelihoods and communities have been wanting such schemes from the government. But along with skills training, care must be taken to help these women with the capital needed to start their small businesses. Channels to subsidies or easy loan schemes must be worked out to facilitate entrepreneurship among women from low-income groups,” she said.

Bala also pointed to the division of skills between men and women. “Generally, women opt for traditional skills like sewing, beautician courses among others. If the government takes steps to introduce non-traditional skills such as driving, repairing auto parts or others, it could also help in addressing the gender inequality in certain jobs,” she said.