Kishori Shakti Yojana {किशोरी शक्ति योजना}

The Government of India launched the Kishori Shakti Yojana under the Ministry of Women and Child Development to empower adolescent girls. This scheme is implemented under the centrally sponsored Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). This scheme’s motive is to enable self-development as well as empowerment of the Adolescent Girls. This scheme will focus on various factors like socio-legal issues by focusing on health, nutritional as well as educational requirements.

The Objectives

The main objectives of this scheme are mentioned below:

• This scheme will help to improve the nutritional as well as the health status of those girls whose age is between 11 to 18 years.
• This scheme will help adolescent girls to improve their decision-making capabilities.
• This scheme will help to train as well as equip the adolescent girls to improve and upgrade home-based and professional skills.
• This scheme will also promote awareness of health, hygiene, nutrition and family welfare, home management, as well as child care. This scheme will ensure that the girls will marry only after attaining the age of 18 years and if possible, even later.
• This scheme will make girls strong to understand their environment-related social issues. And it will also teach them that in which way the social issues can impact on their lives.
• This scheme will motivate the girls to be productive as well as to become active members of society.
• This scheme will able to improve the health, nutritional as well as development status of teenage girls.
• This scheme will also help promote awareness about several factors like hygiene, health, nutrition, as well as family care.
• Under the scheme, the girls will get opportunities to improve their like skills, home-based skills as well as vocational skills.
• This will help them to take their own decision and to understand the difference between wrong and right.

Implementation of the Kishori Shakti Yojana

• In this scheme, the Central Government would assist to the extent of 50% of the expenses or the actual financial norms that are incurred by the States, whichever is less to the States.
• The budget allocation as well as administration from the corresponding centre monitor by the Women and Child Development.
• The Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development has to deal with the ICDS, and it will be liable for the completion of the scheme.
• The other officials, as well as directors dealing with the ICDS, will also launch the Kishori Shakti Yojana at the starting level.
• The Anganwadi Centres will initially execute the scheme. Still, if in case of infrastructure as well as facilities at the Anganwadi centres are not adequate, the scheme would be implemented by alternative arrangements such as community building, school building, or Panchayats buildings, etc. 

Services Provided under Kishori Shakti Yojana

All adolescent girls between the age group of 11-18 years will able to get the mentioned below basic services:

• The girl will be provided with Educational activities with non-formal and functioned literacy patterns.
• Immunization
• A general health check after every six months
• They will get treatment for minor ailments
• Deworming
• Prophylaxis measures against anaemia, goitre, and vitamin deficiencies, etc.
• Referral to PHC or District Hospital in the case of delicate need
• Convergence with Reproductive Child Health Scheme.

Financial Support Provided

Under Kishori Shakti Yojana the Central Government will provide an amount of Rs. 1, 10, 000 lakh to each Integrated Child Development Services every year. This amount will be used by the candidates in training as well as organizing health examination.

Facilities Provided

There are following services offered by the central government under the Kishori Shakti Yojana. All details about services are mentioned below:

Health checkup and referral services

Under this scheme, each girl student will able to get the facility of health checkups at village health care centres or Anganwadi centres. The applicant will be able to get this checkup every 6 months.

Vocational Training

All the eligible applicants will, able to get suitable guidance from skilled trainers so that candidates can augment their occupational skills. With the help of this training, the applicants will be able to get financial independence. They can further use their skills to get an excellent job in the future and can able to earn good money for their family.

Nutritional and Health Education

As we know very well that the level of nutrition in adolescent female candidates is very low. This scheme will provide awareness about personal hygiene, nutritional deficiency, balanced diet, and first aid as well as home remedies.

Life Skill Education

Under this scheme, the main focus will be on personality development literacy as well as accessing public services in Anganwadi centres. The State Government implements the Kishori Shakti Yojana with the 100% compensation of financial assistance from all inputs other than the nourishment provision.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidates have to fulfil the eligibility criteria to get registered under this scheme. All the details about the eligibility criteria of Kishori Shakti Yojana are mentioned below:

• To get the benefits of this scheme the age of the girls must be between the 11 to 18 years under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Projects.
• The girls must be from the selected 200 districts initially all over India on a pilot basis.
• This scheme will target all the Adolescent girls who are out of school and then can them at the Anganwadi Centers regulated by the government.
• In this scheme, even the school going girls can regularly visit the Anganwadi Centers to improve their skills, nourishment tips, education as well as awareness of socio-legal issues.
• This scheme is classified into two types first is the age group of 11 to 14 years, and the second is 14 to 18 years of age.

Application Process

The candidates have to follow the simple process to get enrolled under the Kishori Shakti Yojana. All details about the process of registration under this scheme are mentioned below:

Approach Anganwadi Center

At first, the candidates have to visit the Anganwadi centre/Ministry of Labor/Anganwadi Medical Officer. It depends on the services availed by the applicants.

Receive Application Form

After visiting the Anganwadi Center applicants have to get the application form and fill all the details carefully in the form. The applicant can also get the application from the concerned office.

Fill out the Application Form

After filling all the details in the application form, the candidates have to submit the duly filled application form to the legislature for the process of verification.

Verification Process

The verification process will be completed to assess the scheme as well as take corrective measures. The application form’s evaluations will also be approved by the States periodically.

Processing of Applications

The register about all the details will be maintained at the Anganwadi centre by the AWW with the financial support amount of Saheli/Sakhi. After this, the supervisor will ensure that correct records of Adolescent Girls are maintained at the AWC, compiled as well as reported in the given format.

Documents Needed

The candidates have to provide some necessary documents to complete the registration process. The list of documents that the candidates have to submit under Kishori Shakti Yojana is mentioned below:

• The candidate has to submit a copy of the Aadhaar card.
• Copy of Income certificate is mandatory to submit to prove income eligibility for the scheme.
• Copy of Birth Certificate of the girl child.
• The candidate has to submit a copy of the Domicile Certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the targeted group of girls under Kishori Shakti Yojana? 

The targeted under this scheme is 11 to 18 years.

Q. What amount of financial assistance provided under this scheme?

Financial assistance of Rs. 1.10 lakh per ICDS project per annum will be provided under this scheme.

Q. How many blocks are covered under this scheme all over the country?

The total no. of blocks in the country that are covered under this scheme is 6118.

Q. Who will monitor the Kishori Shakti Yojana?

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) network should do monitoring of the scheme.

Q. Where can I learn more about this scheme?

You can learn more about this scheme on wcd.nic.in/kishori-shakti-yojana