Union Ministry of Electronics & IT and Law Justice, and Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Textiles inaugurated a workshop on “Street Swabhiman – A CSC Initiative for Promoting Women’s Health and Hygiene” on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8th March 2018. Through the Common Services Centers, the workshop demonstrated the positive effects and advancements achieved by women village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs) in India’s underprivileged and marginalized communities to promote women’s health and cleanliness (CSCs).
About the Stree Swabhiman Scheme:
In order to provide affordable and convenient sanitary products close to the homes of adolescent women and girls in rural regions, Common Services Centers has developed a sustainable model through its program for women’s health and hygiene called “Stree Swabhiman.”
The project is driven by awareness-raising and individualized outreach by female business owners who manufacture and market their own sanitary products. The program hopes to contribute to closing the gender gap in women’s and girls’ access to development possibilities, which regrettably hinders their ability to access healthcare, education, and employment prospects.
The Objective of the Stree Swabhiman Scheme:
- Its objective is to raise women’s understanding of proper menstrual hygiene and health, which will assist to defend women’s rights and dignity.
- Adolescent girls and women living in rural regions would have access to Common Service Centers’ (CSC) economical, dependable, and contemporary (eco-friendly) sanitary napkins and menstrual pads.
- To produce inexpensive and environmentally friendly sanitary napkins, this program will set up semi-automatic and manual sanitary napkin production units at CSC.
- These micro-manufacturing facilities will be run by female entrepreneurs, creating jobs for 8–10 women.
Eligibility Criteria and Required Documents for the Scheme:
- All the women from urban and rural areas can take benefit from the Stree Swabhiman Yojana.
- To get the benefit of this scheme, a woman must have the following documents: Identity card, Mobile number, Aadhaar card, and a passport size photo.
- All beneficiaries will be able to purchase sanitary products from CSC at reduced prices.
Benefits of Stree Swabhiman Scheme:
The following are the main advantages that women receive from the Stree Swabhiman Yojana:
- Now, women in remote areas will get sanitary products from the closest CSC at a lower cost.
- By entirely eliminating the feeling of insecurity during menstruation, this program will assist women and girls in moving forward.
- All the services that are provided to women would be freely accessible information under the Stree Swabhiman Scheme.
- Information about all the services that are provided to women would be freely accessible under the Stree Swabhimaan Scheme.
- For the Stree Swabhimaan Scheme to be successfully implemented, the central government would seek to put up affordable sanitary napkin manufacturing facilities.
- Women will have employment options in rural areas with the help of these affordable sanitary napkin manufacturing facilities.
Registration Process for Stree Swabhiman Scheme:
- Women applying for this scheme, have to visit the official site of the Stree Swabhiman Scheme.
- After that, she has to select the Police Verification Form on the website’s front page.
- Then she must download the form from this page, fill it out completely, and then get it checked by the local police station.
- After that, continue the online registration procedure. A new page will load here.
- Applicant Aadhaar card number must now be entered on the designated page. The Aadhaar number must then be verified upon registration using eKYC.
- Applicants must choose KYC in the following step, and then a new page will load. She must fill out the entire application form here, upload the police verification, and then click the submit button.
- By following the instructions the applicant can successfully complete the online registration process for the Stree Swabhimaan Scheme.
Achievements of Stree Swabhiman Scheme:
- Women entrepreneurs have emerged as role models for the empowerment of women and girls in their communities as part of the Stree Swabhiman project for women’s health and hygiene.
- These Women Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) have successfully established 278 Sanitary Napkin Micro Manufacturing Units.
- These facilities create sanitary napkins that are not only affordable for low-income populations but also environmentally sustainable as they degrade naturally over time.
- With each facility employing 5-7 women, this effort not only improves the health and hygiene of women but also provides job opportunities to women in remote areas.