States want 'Sabla' in all districts, govt excuses citing fund

The success of 'Sabla', a scheme that takes care of nutrition of adolescent girls and imparts them life skill education has prompted several states to request the Women and Child Development Ministry to implement it in all districts but it has expressed its inability do so on account of budgetary constraints.
The scheme is currently being implemented in only 205 selected districts.
The move by the states has, however, led the ministry to increase the allocation of funds from Rs 75.50 crore earmarked initially to Rs 475.50 crore for the current fiscal.
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG), known as Sabla, is a centrally sponsored programme for girls aged between 11 and 18 years that addresses their nutrition needs, healthcare and life skills education.

"Sabla is showing progress so much so that as we have received proposals from the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to include more districts under the said scheme," a senior official in the ministry said.
However, the government has turned down the states' requests due budgetary constraints.

"These states have been informed that the budgetary allocation for Sabla for the 12th Plan Period is Rs 3650 crore and as such the scheme cannot be implemented in all the districts of the country," the official said.
The total number of beneficiaries under the scheme was 1,02,28,911 during 2014-15 and 48,68,553 in 2015-16. Sabla was launched in 2011.

"Under the nutrition component, the out of school adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years and all girls in the age group of 14-18 years are provided supplementary nutrition for 300 days in a year," he said.
"The non-nutrition component addresses the developmental needs of adolescent girls. Under this component out of school adolescent girls of 11-18 years are being provided iron, folic acid supplementation, health check-up and referral services, and health education," the official said.
They are also provided counselling, guidance on family welfare, life skill education, guidance on accessing public services and vocational training.