The President’s Women Empowerment Programme, one of the two national level programmes named after the head of state, has officially started in 26 of the total 40 districts where the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare had launched it.

Inaugurated in Taulihawa of Kapilvastu on March 7, the programme has an aim to provide skill development and capability enhancement training to the Dalit, indigenous, marginalised and Muslim women of the first 30 districts lagging behind in the Human Development Index (HDI) with a total budget of Rs55 million.

For programmes targeting women involved in sectors of entertainment, agriculture, commercial and domestic works to be implemented in 10 districts, Rs2 million has been set aside.

The districts where the programme has started are Saptari, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Sindhuli, Kapilvastu, Dhanusha, Dolakha, Rukum, Salyan, Dailekh, Jajarkot, Jumla, Bajura, Bajhang, Achham, Doti, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Darchula, Chitwan, Kaski, Morang, Sunsari, Banke, Kanchanpur and Rupandehi.

The government also plans to operate service centres for women, children, senior citizens and persons with disability in 25 districts. Since 2015, the ministry has been running service centres in 17 districts. 

The guidelines to operate the service centres have yet to be approved, said Naresh Kumar Chapagain, director general of the Department of Women and Children. According to the department, the centres provide medical services, psycho-social counselling and legal consultation, among others. Besides, there are an additional 104 community service centres in the districts. “The programme is set to provide employment for the participating women and also enables them to get into entrepreneurship,” said Chapagain.

The government had initiated the programme with an objective of supporting women for equal participation in all stages of nation-building and to promote equal opportunity and social dignity of women. The programme seeks to focus on economic empowerment of women, increase access to education, health and social services, and to end gender-based violence, trafficking and social stigmatisation.

The ministry says emphasis will be on improving the condition of women and girls, especially in the rural areas where they lack proper access to education, health services, employment and income generating opportunities.