Indian women in 2025 are redefining power – they are no longer bound by tradition or glass ceilings. From flying drones over rural agricultural lands to driving multimillion-rupee ventures, women nationwide are shattering barriers and rewriting the script. This dynamic transformation is supported by a tide of forward-looking government initiatives particularly directed towards empowering women across society. These initiatives are converting potential into power, whether it’s economic independence, vocational skills, online literacy, or safety and well-being.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).
A cash incentive of Rs. 5000/- in three installments is paid directly to Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) for the first living child, subject to health-related conditions. It was launched nationwide on 1st January 2017, earlier known as the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), and began as a pilot in Panchkula.
Installment Conditions:
- 1st: Early pregnancy registration
- 2nd: At least one antenatal check-up (after 6 months)
- 3rd: Registration of child’s birth
Objective: To partially compensate wage loss and encourage mothers to take rest before and after childbirth, promoting better health practices.
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)
PMMY offers loans up to ₹20 lakh to non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises. The scheme intends to increase self-employment and micro-enterprises through easy access to credit through banks, MFIs, NBFCs, and Small Finance Banks. The scheme began on April 8, 2015. Up to March 2025, over 46 crore loans were sanctioned under PMMY and ₹27 lakh crore+ disbursed nationwide.
Objective: To promote financial inclusion by supporting micro-entrepreneurs across stages of business growth, especially first-time borrowers.
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
A government-guaranteed savings scheme for the girl child providing tax-exempt returns (under Section 10 of the Income Tax Act) and long-term financial security. The main features are:
- Minimum Deposit: ₹250/year | Maximum: ₹1.5 lakh/year
- Eligibility: The account can be opened at any time prior to the girl becoming 10 years old. One account per girl only.
- Maturity: 21 years from opening date
- Withdrawals: Permitted after the age of 18 for higher studies
- Premature Closure: Permitted after girl attains 18 years of age in case she is marrying
- Transferable: To any Post Office or eligible bank in India
Objective: To prompt parents or guardians to create a stable economic future for their girl child by instilling long-term savings for her educational and marriage costs.
Drone Didi Scheme
The scheme’s goal is to empower Women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs); it aims to provide autonomous drones to 15,000 SHGs (2024 – 2026) to provide agricultural spray services while simultaneously giving the women an additional income of up to £ 1 lakh/year. The important aspects of the scheme are as follows:
- 80% subsidy on the drone costs (up to 8 lakh)
- The SHGs will receive drone delivery training
- SHGs can lease the drones to farmers who need assistance spraying fertilizers/pesticides.
Objective: Create independence for women-led SHGs by providing drone-based agricultural services while creating sustainable means of living and technology-based rural means of living.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)-PMAY (U)
On June 25, 2015, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) was launched as the flagship initiative of the Government of India to fulfil the vision of “Housing for All” by 2022 in urban areas.
Objective: To promote housing for all eligible urban families, particularly EWS and LIG households, by aiding the current and prospective housing stock through the construction, purchase, or improvement of houses while promoting women’s ownership of housing assets.
Mahila E-Haat
Mahila E-Haat is an innovative digital platform, initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, which enables women entrepreneurs to connect with customers directly, and empower them. This has been designed under the Digital India and Stand Up India initiatives, and provides an online platform through which women can display and sell their products or services directly to buy consumers in India using a mobile phone.
Objective: To provide entrepreneurship as a technology-driven marketing platform for women entrepreneurs, to showcase their products or services to customers without intermediaries, and encourage economic independence and entrepreneurial growth.
Mahila Shakti Kendra
The Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme that commenced in November 2017 and aims to empower rural women through community participation. This scheme encourages convergence with many other government schemes/programs for women. It provides a holistic support system at the ground level based on women’s access to rights, entitlements, and welfare schemes. The scheme is being implemented in collaboration with State Governments and UT Administrations.
Objective: To empower rural women by providing one-stop convergent support services and inter-sectoral coordination among the various schemes/programs for women’s welfare and development.
Conclusion
India’s 2025 push for women’s empowerment is comprehensive, vibrant, and interconnected across finance, governance, security, entrepreneurship, and culture. From unprecedented seat reservations, large credit packages, and legal inclusion at the community level to niche products such as airport stalls and credit literacy platforms—this is a whole-of-life push to change people’s lives.
Frequently Asked Question
The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) provides up to ₹5,000 in cash assistance offered in 3 installments to eligible mothers for their first live child to promote health check-ups, institutional delivery and postnatal care. This is a safety net to replace wage loss or a way of improving maternal health practices.
Yes. The Drone Didi Scheme aims to strengthen the position of 15,000 self-help groups (SHGs) of women, by subsidizing a drone up to 80% and training, making them their own offers in agri-spray services and earn up to ₹1 lakh/year.
The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) enables parents/guardians to open a savings account for girls under 10 years old. Accounts earn tax free interest (~8.2% for 2025) and entitles girls to access their accumulated funds to pursue higher education or marry after age 18.
Disclaimer:
The content of this article is intended for educational purposes only and is based on government-based information available in 2025. Readers should go to the official scheme websites or contact local officials for the most accurate and up-to-date content. The availability of schemes and their eligibility requirements may vary or change by region or over time.