By News18

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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 20 (PTI) A poor middle-aged woman stepped into a state-run centre here recently with a heavy heart seeking a strange help.
The lady, belonging to a financially backward section, wanted to know whether the centre could find a shelter for her 18-year-old pregnant daughter who was unmarried.
Realising her plight, the centre shifted the daughter, an employee of a private firm, to an “one-stop centre” where women in distress are lodged after assuring her all further medical and psychological support.
They were among several women who have approached the empowerment centre seeking support for different needs ranging from a safe lodging facility, emergency help, livelihood means and legal assistance to psychological counselling, information and access to government schemes and skill training.
It is “Sankalp Centre” alias SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).
A centrally sponsored initiative under the ambit of the Mission Shakti project, these centres function across the country as a crucial bridge for women to learn about resources and services related to their safety, security, and empowerment.
Started barely two years ago, it is steadily becoming a pillar of strength for women in the state and nationwide.
A Sankalp official said that project management units are operating in every district of the country that implement and oversee various initiatives of the ‘Mission Shakti’.
According to figures, over 56,000 women have benefited through either service, support or information provided by the district Sankalp Centre in Thiruvananthapuram during 2024-25.
The hapless pregnant woman, who was safely shifted to the one-stop centre first and later rehabilitated at a shelter home, was one of the hundreds of beneficiaries of the umbrella scheme, the district Sankalp official said.
Of the total 56,212 beneficiaries, 367 cases were successfully addressed at the “one-stop centre”, while 1,364 cases were handled at “women helpline 181 (Mithra). Of the 151 women rehabilitated, 59 were given necessary training and capacity building.
“We have conducted 554 sessions at various levels during the period, and over 11,000 students of 46 colleges in the district have been among the beneficiaries,” Neethu S Sainu, District Mission Coordinator, Sankalp, HEW here, told PTI.
She said Sankalp is designed to ensure safety and security of women and empower them through various pro-women schemes by offering guidance on how to access its benefits.
Detailing its functioning, Sainu said Mission Shakti has eight components- One Stop Centres (OSC), Women Helpline (181), Shakti Sadans (shelter homes), Shakti Niwas (working women’s hostel), Palna (creche component), Beti Bachavo Beti Padhao scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and Nari Adalats (alternative dispute resolution forum).
She said the duty of Sankalp is to coordinate, implement and follow up on the activities of all these components at respective districts to realise the larger objective of the empowerment of women.
The Sanklap centres intervene based on the information they receive through the helpline, volunteers, directly from fields, and through the people who directly visit their offices requesting assistance.
Sainu cited the example of three youngsters who directly came to the Sankalp’s office here some time back, requesting help to find means for a decent livelihood.
“They were really poor and unable to meet any expenses for further education. Exploring the relevant government scheme, we admitted them to the Government Food Craft Institute in Thycaud here free of cost,” she said.
After completing the course successfully, they are now working in three-star hotels with good pay, she said, adding that it is one of the success stories of Sankalp intervention.
The Sankalp Centre frequently and effectively followed up on various cases reported through the Helpline and helped a large number of women who had been in distress due to various circumstances.
A woman who had been subjected to brutal marital rape, a widow who struggled to cope with the sudden demise of her husband, a lady who had to go into prostitution due to poverty and another one who was finding it hard to look after her bedridden husband were among the women whose lives have been changed positively due to the follow-up actions by Sankalp.
A seven-member team, comprising experts including gender and financial literacy specialists, is the backbone of each district Sankalp centre, the official said, adding that in Kerala, it comes under the Department of Women and Child Development.
While the district collector is the nodal officer of Sankalp centres, the district officer of the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) is the convenor.
Sainu said they are planning more intensive awareness drives and a series of skill development interventions in the coming months with the support of Collector Anu Kumari and the convenor, Tasneem P S.
LED bulb making is one such initiative being planned for prisoners as part of their skill development, she said. The official, however, admitted that a dearth of adequate human resources and people’s lack of awareness about its existence are among the challenges faced by the Sankalp.
Collector Anu Kumari recently launched the “Women in Workforce” campaign under the aegis of the district Sankalp centre here by clicking a selfie with the women staff of the Collectorate. PTI LGK ADB