Category Gender Impact Studies Center

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Vahli Dikri Yojana (2019): Can Financial Support Improve Outcomes for Girls in Gujarat?

Gujarat introduced the Vahli Dikri Yojana on 2 August 2019 to address concerns about the status of girls and their access to education. The state had faced challenges related to an unfavourable child sex ratio, gender discrimination and early marriage. Census 2011 recorded Gujarat’s child sex ratio at 890 girls (0-6 years of age group) per 1,000 boys, below the national figure of 919. The government introduced this scheme to encourage families to value their daughters and support their future. It provides financial assistance at different stages of a girl’s life, including school entry and adulthood. The main aim is to improve girls’ education, reduce school dropouts and discourage child marriage.

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Amma Two Wheeler Scheme, 2018: Promoting Women’s Mobility and Economic Empowerment in Tamil Nadu

The Amma Two Wheeler Scheme was introduced to support working women who faced difficulties travelling to their workplaces or conducting livelihood-related activities. The original scheme guidelines envisaged assistance for one lakh working women annually, covering both rural and urban areas of Tamil Nadu (Government of Tamil Nadu, 2018). The initiative recognised that women’s economic participation depends not only on the availability of employment but also on their ability to reach workplaces safely, conveniently and affordably.

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Mapping Safety: Assessing the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO).

The persistent challenge of gender-based violence and crimes against women and children has long tested the resilience of India's criminal justice framework. In the wake of nationwide civil mobilizations following the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, institutional mechanisms surrounding investigation, tracking, and prosecution underwent intense public scrutiny. Recognizing the structural lacunae in cross-jurisdictional tracking of perpetrators, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) launched the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) on September 20, 2018.

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Safeguarding Women and Children Online, The Cyber Crime Prevention Scheme (CCPWC) Scheme, 2018.

India's digital expansion has brought a darker companion: stalking, sextortion, morphed images, fake profiles and child sexual abuse material. By 2018 it was clear that police stations, forensic facilities and courts had not kept pace. Policing is a State subject, and most State forces lacked both trained personnel and the tools to handle digital evidence.

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One Stop Centres, 2024: Strengthening Support for Overseas NRI Women

The One Stop Centres (OSCs) for overseas NRI women were approved only in November 2024 and started being established from 2025. These centres represent an extension of India’s domestic One Stop Centre scheme (also known as Sakhi) to support Indian women facing distress abroad. The domestic OSC scheme was launched on 1 April 2015 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) under the Nirbhaya Fund to provide integrated, immediate support under one roof to women affected by violence in private or public spaces (Ministry of Women and Child Development, 2015; Press Information Bureau, 2024).

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