SABLA

Sabla scheme likely to be launched on November 14 .2010

The Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls - Sabla - is likely to be launched in 200 select districts on November 14, celebrated as Children's Day in the country.

The Scheme is aimed at addressing the multi-dimensional problems of adolescent girls between 11 and 18 years and would be implemented through the platform of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) projects and anganwadi centres. Over one crore girls are expected to benefit from the scheme annually.

Upgrading skills

The girls would be empowered by improvement in their nutritional and health status and upgrading home, life and vocational skills. It also aims at equipping the girls on family welfare, health, hygiene and information and guidance on existing public services, along with mainstreaming out of school girls into formal or non-formal education.

Nutrition would be provided to all girls of 11 to 15 years who are out of school and those of 15 to 18 years. The scheme is expected to tackle the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition, effectively, to prepare young girls for future motherhood. It would eventually result in the reduction of high levels of anaemia, maternal mortality rate and child marriages.

Launch on pilot-basis

The Centre is in the process of identifying the 200 select districts where the scheme would be launched on a pilot basis. The government has allocated Rs. 1,000 crore for the purpose for the current financial year. Sabla would be a Centrally-sponsored scheme except for the nutrition component for which the State would have to shell out 50 per cent of the cost. As per the estimates, the cost of nutrition would be Rs. 5 per day per girl.

Health problems

Adolescent girls in general, and those out of school in particular, have considerable unmet needs in terms of health including reproductive health, education, nutrition and skill development. Given the high levels of under-nutrition and anaemia in adolescent girls and women, compounded by early marriage, early child bearing and inadequate spacing between births, adolescent girls perpetuate an inter-generational cycle of under-nutrition, gender discrimination and poverty.