Under Centre's Nayi Chetna initiative, villages to be awarded certificates for eliminating gender-based violence

New Delhi: Villages across the country will now be given certificates for eliminating gendered violence. The ministries of rural development as well as women and child development on Tuesday announced the initiative as part of the fourth phase of the Nayi Chetna initiative to finish gender-based violence.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development and Women and Child Welfare, along with 11 other ministries, has launched a joint initiative to make all villages in the country violence-free. Under Nayi Chetana 4.0, Didis (didis) will launch a countrywide public campaign with the support of the Centre for Gender Equality. With the help of women's groups in every village, violence against women and gender inequality will be taken up to eradicate them in all villages.

The campaign, which has been ongoing since 2022, has already engaged millions of didis and self-help groups. Violence-free villages will receive certificates.

This national campaign was launched by Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Annapurna Devi at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra at the Sushma Swaraj Bhavan. It is an inter-ministerial collaboration, with the joint consultation of 11 ministries, the campaign will focus on women's safety, dignity, and economic participation, emphasising on the need to change the mindset of discrimination against daughters in society.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that social security comes from economic empowerment. “Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, no sister will remain poor. The central government is striving to ensure that no woman has to beg for help. The central government is working tirelessly to ensure that every woman becomes a millionaire. To this end, the central government is taking numerous concrete initiatives for the economic and social empowerment of women,” he said at the launch.

“This campaign has transformed into a mass movement to strengthen the safety, dignity, and economic participation of women in rural India. The campaign promotes women’s respect, security, and self-reliance. We must ensure that women’s voices are heard at every level of society and governance,” he said. Chouhan added that while the government has implemented numerous programs, such as women’s reservation in local body elections, the statistics on women’s plight are alarming.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence through community-based action, promote women’s safe mobility, recognition of their economic contribution, and shared responsibility in household tasks. This nationwide campaign is being organised by the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development. While the campaign will continue throughout the year, an intensive campaign will continue till December 23 in all states and union territories, spearheaded by a vast network of self-help groups across the country.

During the event, an inter-ministerial joint consultation was issued with the joint signature of 11 ministries and their departments, including the WCD ministry, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Department of Justice.