States want ‘Sabla’ in all districts, govt cites fund crunch

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 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.