The government of Jharkhand announced on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, that they are working to improve the education of girls through the Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana (SPKSY). Approximately nine lakh adolescent girls in the state will be included in this programme, which was launched in October 2022 by the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, as part of the "Aapki Yojana Aapki Sarkar Aapke Dwar" campaign, which brings the benefits of various government schemes directly to villagers, as per a report by PTI.
The state government released a statement saying, "The Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana is an effort of the state government to facilitate the education of adolescent girls and a step towards women empowerment and gender justice. Nine lakh adolescent girls of the state shall be covered by this scheme."
Three lakh adolescent girls were linked to the Aapki Yojana campaign which went on for over a month. The statement said, "In a programme organised on the completion of three years of the government, the chief minister transferred a total amount of Rs 219 crore to accounts of more than 5.52 lakh adolescent girls." On the completion of three years of the government, the chief minister transferred a total of Rs 219 crore to the accounts of more than 5.52 lakh adolescent girls during a programme. The goal of the programme is not only to provide financial assistance but also to improve the education of adolescent girls and promote women's empowerment and gender justice, as per the government statement.
The statement also mentioned that the Jharkhand government has honoured Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda, the iconic leader of the Jharkhand movement and the first captain of the Indian hockey team, and Savitribai Phule, the first teacher of the country, by naming two of its scholarship schemes after them. The state government recently signed an MoU with the British High Commission to expand the scope of the overseas scholarship.
"At present, six students are pursuing higher education abroad under the overseas scholarship scheme. Whereas, in the current academic session, 20 are getting benefits of the scheme," the statement noted.
Previously, this initiative was only available to 10 boys and girls from the scheduled tribe community. However, following an order from the Chief Minister, the benefit of this scheme has been extended to youths from SC, BC and minority groups.
