New Delhi: In India, there are several schemes for the benefit of the common people and the Balika Samriddhi Yojana is one of them. It was launched in 1997 to enable the empowerment of girl children in the country.
Over the years, the scheme has been a major initiative when it comes to supporting the birth and education of the girl child. It provides coverage for all girl children born on or after August 15, 1997, in families who belong to BPL (below the poverty line).
What are Balika Samriddhi Yojana’s objectives?
The objectives of the Balika Samriddhi Yojana are as follows:
- The Balika Samriddhi Yojana aims to change the attitude of family and community towards the girl child and her mother.
- In schools, the scheme aims to improve enrolment and retention of girl children.
- The scheme aims to raise the age of girls about when they should get married.
- The scheme aims to help the girl to undertake which will generate income.
Who is eligible for the scheme?
All girl children born on or after August 15, 1997, who belong to BPL families will get the benefits of the scheme. However, for each family, all benefits are given to two girl children irrespective of the number of children in the family.
What are the benefits of Balika Samriddhi Yojana?
The Balika Samriddhi Yojana scheme has several major benefits. Over the years, its features and benefits have been revamped to make sure that girls get more prominent benefits.
- The scheme gives Rs 500 to the mother as a grant amount after a girl child is born.
- When the girl child born on or after August 15, 1997, is registered with the BSY and starts to attend the school, she will get annual scholarships for completing each year of schooling.
- Between Classes 1 to 3, for each class, the scholarship amount will be Rs. 300 per annum. They will be Rs. 500 for Class 4 and Rs. 600 for Class 5.
- Between classes 6 and 7, the scholarship amounts will be Rs. 700 for every class and Rs. 800 for Class 8.
They will be Rs. 1,000 for Classes 9 to 10.
How to apply for Balika Samriddhi Yojana?
In the rural areas, the Balika Samriddhi Yojana is managed by the ICDS while the Health Department professionals implement it in urban areas. One must remember these things while applying for the scheme:
- In rural areas, one can get application forms from Anganwadi Workers and in the urban areas, the form can be found from the functionaries of the Health Department.
- One can avail of forms online but the beneficiaries differ in urban and rural zones.
