Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls(RGSEAG)

The Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG), popularly known as SABLA, is a flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at the holistic development and empowerment of adolescent girls. Launched in November 2010 under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the scheme seeks to enhance the nutrition, health, education, and life skills of girls aged 11 to 18 years, enabling them to become self-reliant, informed, and confident members of society.

Background and Need

Adolescence is a crucial phase in human development marked by rapid physical, mental, and emotional changes. In India, adolescent girls often face challenges such as malnutrition, early marriage, school dropouts, gender discrimination, and lack of access to healthcare. To address these concerns, the Government conceptualised the RGSEAG as a targeted intervention for adolescent girls, integrating health, education, and empowerment through a single platform.
The scheme was launched to replace and expand upon earlier initiatives like the Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG) and Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY). It operates through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) network, using Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) as focal points for service delivery.

Objectives

The RGSEAG (SABLA) aims to achieve the following objectives:

• To enable adolescent girls to achieve self-development and empowerment.
• To improve their nutrition and health status.
• To promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, adolescent reproductive and sexual health, and rights.
• To upgrade home-based and vocational skills for economic independence.
• To mainstream out-of-school adolescent girls into formal education or skill training programmes.
• To provide information and access to various public services such as health, banking, and legal aid.

Target Group and Coverage

The scheme covers girls aged 11 to 18 years, divided into two sub-groups:

• 11–14 years: Focus on health, nutrition, and education (mainly for out-of-school girls).
• 15–18 years: Emphasis on vocational skills, life skills, and empowerment.

The scheme initially covered 200 districts across India on a pilot basis, later expanded to other districts. Anganwadi Centres serve as the main delivery mechanism, ensuring local participation and easy access to beneficiaries.

Key Components

The RGSEAG (SABLA) provides an integrated package of services, broadly divided into two major components:
1. Nutrition Component:

• Provision of supplementary nutrition to out-of-school girls aged 11–14 years and all girls aged 14–18 years for about 300 days a year.
• Each beneficiary receives 600 calories and 18–20 grams of protein daily through nutritious food or take-home rations.
• Regular health check-ups, immunisation, deworming, and micronutrient supplementation (iron and folic acid) are ensured.

2. Non-Nutrition Component:

• Health and Nutrition Education: Awareness about balanced diet, personal hygiene, menstrual health, and reproductive health.
• Life Skills Education: Training in communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and leadership.
• Vocational Training: Skill development for girls aged 16–18 years, linked to recognised institutions and national skill development programmes.
• Education Support: Efforts to mainstream out-of-school girls into formal or non-formal education systems.
• Civic Awareness: Information on government schemes, legal rights, and public services.

Implementation Mechanism

The scheme functions through the ICDS infrastructure, with Anganwadi Centres as the nodal units. Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Supervisors play key roles in identification, counselling, and coordination.
At the state and district levels, the Department of Women and Child Development oversees implementation, ensuring convergence with other departments such as Health, Education, Labour, and Skill Development. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms include regular reporting, periodic assessments, and community participation through Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs).

Convergence with Other Schemes

RGSEAG operates in synergy with other government initiatives to enhance its reach and effectiveness, such as:

• National Health Mission (NHM) – for health services, adolescent clinics, and reproductive health education.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) – for promoting education and gender equality.
• National Skill Development Mission (NSDM) – for vocational training and employment.
• Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan – for educational integration and literacy.

Significance and Impact

The scheme holds immense significance as it addresses multiple dimensions of adolescent girls’ welfare simultaneously:

• Nutritional Security: By improving dietary intake and health awareness, it combats malnutrition and anaemia.
• Social Empowerment: It promotes gender equality and awareness of rights, helping girls participate more actively in community life.
• Economic Empowerment: Skill training enhances employability and income-generating capacity.
• Education and Awareness: It helps reduce school dropouts and prevents early marriage through awareness and life skills education.
• Health Improvement: Early health interventions contribute to long-term wellbeing, reducing maternal and infant mortality risks later in life.

Challenges in Implementation

Despite its strong design, the scheme faces several challenges at the grassroots level:

• Limited Coverage: Initially restricted to selected districts, reducing overall outreach.
• Infrastructure Constraints: Inadequate facilities and training at some Anganwadi Centres.
• Coordination Issues: Weak inter-departmental convergence, particularly between health and education sectors.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Gaps: Difficulty in maintaining accurate beneficiary data and assessing long-term outcomes.
• Awareness Barriers: Limited understanding among rural communities about scheme benefits and gender equality objectives.

Recent Developments

In recent years, the scheme has been restructured and merged under broader umbrella programmes such as the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) and Mission Poshan 2.0, with an emphasis on nutritional improvement and convergence-based delivery. These reforms aim to expand reach, improve efficiency, and strengthen monitoring through digital platforms and community-level engagement.

Significance for Women’s Empowerment

The RGSEAG (SABLA) represents a transformative step in addressing the developmental needs of adolescent girls holistically. It bridges the gap between childhood and adulthood by ensuring that young girls have access to essential health, nutrition, and educational support, as well as the confidence and skills needed to lead empowered lives.
The programme also embodies India’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to gender equality (SDG 5), health and wellbeing (SDG 3), and quality education (SDG 4).